The order of phoenix
by Ezmee
Summary: it's Harry's fith year. Harry finds his true destiny, along with someone unexpected, and friends and enemies are thrown into turmoil as Voldemort begins his second assault on the wizarding world. H/G and D/Hrm.
1. Chapter one

IF  
  
Chapter One-  
  
If you can keep your head when all about you,  
  
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you-  
  
1.1 Rudyard Kipling  
  
Harry James Potter gazed longingly out the window of number 4 Privet Drive, his gaze fixed on the drops of rain that streaked down the windowpane. He leaned his face against the glass, and sighed. One thought was uppermost in his mind. Cedric.  
  
It had been weeks and weeks ago that that fatal night had to place. Harry closed his eyes and relived those terrible moments again. Wormtail slicing his arm open. Cedric, lying motionless on the ground. Voldemort rising up from the cauldron, born again with Harry's help. The shadows of his parents emerging from Voldemorts wand. And Cedric, Cedric asking for Harry to return his body to Hogwarts.  
  
It was all too much; Harry allowed one fat tear to escape from his eyes, and trickle down his cheek, blending in with the rain. It was all his fault.  
  
Of course nearly everyone he knew saw otherwise. The Weasley's, Sirius, Professor Dumbledore, even the Diggory's had put every ounce of energy into convincing Harry that he had no control over it all. In a way, Harry would have preferred to blame himself, than know that people could die, just like that, and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
Almost as though they knew what he was thinking, Pig- Ron's over excitable owl- crashed headlong into Harry's window. Unexpected as it was, it did succeed in jerking Harry from his reverie. He rushed to open the window, and Pig flopped onto the floor in front of him, with a proud yet bemused look in his eyes after successfully completing his mission. Harry allowed a ghost of a grin to cross his face as he picked up and examined the letter. He was surprised to see that the writing wasn't Ron's untidy scrawl, but a neat, sloping handwriting. He ripped open the letter.  
  
Harry,  
  
Hey, how are you holding up? You were probably expecting a letter from Ron, but he can't really do, well, anything at the moment, thanks to mum. You know Quidditch is on again this year? Well, Ron's been working really hard this summer to try and train up for the position of keeper, and he kind of got carried away with it a bit. He enchanted a rock to act as a quaffle, but he got the charm a bit wrong, and it ended up conking mum in the back of the head! Once she got over the concussion, she wasn't best pleased, and she banned Ron from leaving his room for the next four weeks. Poor Ron!  
  
Anyway, we're all going down to London next Wednesday, can you make it for then, Hermione will be there too. Well, if I don't see you then, it'll be on the Hogwarts Express! And Harry, do keep your chin up, won't you?  
  
Love From  
  
2 Ginny  
  
Harry put the letter down, the grin now spreading across his face. Poor Ron!! He could almost see the fed up grimace on the face of his best friend. He looked down again at the letter. Ginny was really all right, once she stopped hiding behind doors and blushing beetroot whenever he was near her. He remembered with a chuckle the singing dwarf valentine that Ginny had sent to him during his second year. Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, still hadn't let him forget it. He made a silent promise to himself to get to know Ginny better at school this year as he folded the letter and placed it on his desktop, where it added to a mounting pile of mail, labelled with Ron's crazy scribblings, or Hermione's tidy writing. Hermione had in fact (and much to Rons' delight) turned down Viktor Krum's offer to stay in Bulgaria, and was currently on holiday with her parents in Jersey, celebrating her appointment as prefect. Harry smirked at the thought of Ron's glee when he heard Hermione's decision, and he moved his eyes onwards. That was when another letter caught his eye. This letter was not nearly as friendly, and the person who wrote it clearly blamed him for what had happened. Tears again fought their way to the surface as Harry read this letter for what seemed like the thousandth time.  
  
To Harry,  
  
I could not talk to you about this while we were still at school, because I just wasn't thinking then. Now though, I think I need to get if off my chest.  
  
Why Harry? Why was it Cedric? Did you really have no control over it all? I thought you were the Boy Who Lived, couldn't you have done something to stop him? Or did you want it to be Cedric who died and not you? Did you think that with Cedric gone, I might start to like you? I see the way you look at me, the way you go red when you talk to me. Was winning more important than Cedric?  
  
I don't think I can talk to you from now on, can you please do your best to stay away from me. I don't want to end up hating you Harry, but I'm sorry, I do blame you.  
  
Cho Chang  
  
Harry remembered all the times he had dreamed of winning the Triwizard Tournament, and seeing the look of approval on Cho's face. Waves of guilt coursed through him, and Harry collapsed down on the bed, feeling nauseous. He prepared himself for the dreadful retches which would come, he had been sick before with the guilt, and with the fear. Because even after everything that had happened, there was still more to come. Voldemort was out there, and he wasn't going to stop until Harry was dead. Harry bent his head upwards, drenched in sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now. And then an explosion came from downstairs.  
  
Harry instinctively grasped for his wand, and flung his door open, racing down the stairs of the Dursley's neat and orderly house. Above him he could hear the below of uncle Vernon, clearly furious after being disturbed from his sleep. Harry didn't really care what uncle Vernon thought; he was still counting down the days until he could leave the Dursleys forever.  
  
He stopped at the foot of the stairs, and proceeded more cautiously into the kitchen. He could see the empty pizza box still on the table- the one which Dudley had smuggled in without his parents finding out. But, other than that, there was nothing. And yet Harry was sure he had heard that explosion, surely he hadn't dreamt it?  
  
It was just then that Uncle Vernon staggered into the room, panting after running down the stairs at that pace. This, and his incredible anger, sent his normally pinkish face a fire engine red.  
  
'Boy! What is the meaning of all this?' Vernon wheezed, the veins in his temples throbbing madly.  
  
Harry was saved from answering by the sudden of appearance of five death eaters in the kitchen of number four Privet Drive.  
  
Harry's heart stopped beating.  
  
The foremost death eater removed himself from the group and stepped forward towards Harry and Vernon, barely registering the look of unmistakeable fury on Vernons face. He bent down and spoke directly to Harry.  
  
'Today is your lucky day Potter.' Even behind a cloak, Harry could recognise the lazy drawl of Lucius Malfoy, the father of his arch nemesis at school, Draco.  
  
'What do you mean?' Harry managed to spit out. His throat was thick with pure hatred for the older man.  
  
'The Dark Lord it seems, is willing to make you an offer, though Lord only knows why. He is willing to spare your life, in return for your services as a Death Eater'  
  
This stopped Harry in his tracks. Voldemort wanted him? He thought back to a time he never really knew, when his parents had dies to fight for good, to fight for him, and knew immediately what his answer would be.  
  
'Never!' The word rang through the kitchen like a gunshot, even uncle Vernon was surprised at the ferocity with which Harry yelled his answer. He soon regained his composure, and stepped forward, his bushy moustache shaking with anger.  
  
' See here you, I don't know who you think you are, but..'  
  
Uncle Vernon never stood a chance. The moment he had become aware of his presence, Malfoy had raised his wand, and uttered those words that Harry knew so well.  
  
'Avada Kedavra'. Vernon was dead within a second. For the third time in his life, Harry had watched another human being die. Harry then gave into his anger, he let his fury course through his entire being, felt it spurting from his fingertips, filling him with a never before felt power. He didn't pretend to be sad for his uncle; his fury came from pure stubbornness, a refusal to sit back helpless whilst things fell apart around him. It was time for a change. He felt that change in his body, as if something in him, something he had been holding back for so many years was finally breaking out, more powerful and more violent than it was before.  
  
Malfoy regarded Harry again, and what he saw in the boys face gave him a slight twinge of something unexpected, fear. Every line of Harry's face was etched with frustration and pent up fury. And, as if the room were responding to his actions, every single object in the kitchen began to fly at the death eaters. An invisible wind whipped through the air, sending the death eaters running for their lives. Harry wasn't aware of it, but he was at the moment surrounded by a shining white light, which seemed to magnify the aura of power he was giving off.  
  
Lucius was, needless to say, disturbed, but he was still determined to carry out his mission. Gripping onto the tabletop, he pointed his wand at the young boys chest, and prepared to utter those deadly words once more. A blinding green light shot out the tip of his wand, it fought its way towards the light that Harry was radiating, and, incredibly, died the moment it entered the sphere surrounding Harry. Lucius ducked down, fearing another wave of wrath mounting in Harry, but there was nothing. He cautiously peeked his head above the tabletop, and peaked around him. Harry had gone.  
  
Several hundred miles away, on the front lawn of Hogwarts castle, Harry Potter appeared out of mid air, and collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.  
  
'How is he, Poppy?'  
  
'Still the same headmaster'  
  
Harry heard the words as though he were standing in a dense fog; the words were muffled and unclear. He tried to open his eyes, and found that it required too much energy. He instead focused on trying to hear what those voices were saying.  
  
'But how, headmaster? I don't understand, you simply cannot apparate onto Hogwarts grounds, it's impossible'.  
  
'Impossible to everyone except Harry, I presume.' Even though he had his eyes closed, Harry could almost envision the twinkle in Dumbledores eyes.  
  
'And Severus said that Malfoy was in a state, that Potter stopped the killing curse again, how does he do it?'  
  
'That, Poppy, is a complex matter, and one which Harry must be informed of. It is time he took his place in the fight between good and evil'  
  
'But he's just a child!'  
  
'He is, Poppy, much more than that.'  
  
The conversation was interrupted by the doors to the infirmary slamming open, and hurried footsteps pattering over the stone floor. Then Harry heard a voice which made him melt with relief, that of Sirius Black, his Godfather. Harry hadn't heard from Sirius all summer, a fact that made him feel both worried, and a tad hurt.  
  
' Dumbledore, what is it? What's happened, is he alright?' Harry could feel Sirius bending over him, and could imagine the concerned frown which must be crossing his brow. Deciding that he should have a stab at speaking, Harry cleared his throat ever so slightly, causing the room to go silent. He finally gained control of his eyelids, and snapped them opened. The faces of Sirius, Madame Pomfrey the matron, and Professor Dumbledore, swam into focus. Sirius broke into a smile.  
  
'Harry mate, good to see you, good to see you.'  
  
'Lo Sirius' was all that Harry could manage. It caused Sirius' smile to spread a little wider, before he was pushed out the way as Madame Pomfrey bustled forward.  
  
'Out of the way Black, this boy needs medical attention'  
  
Only Dumbledore had remained where he was, staring at Harry with an odd sort of smile on his ancient face. Harry allowed himself to meet Dumbledores steady gaze for a moment. It was then that he remembered, he was now back at Hogwarts, he could feel truly safe again.  
  
'Professor,' he mumbled. 'I have a few questions, if you'd care to answer them'.  
  
'Of course Harry, but all in good time. What you are in desperate need of now is sleep. Poppy, would you see to that?' this question caused MadamePomfory to practically run over to the medicine cabinet.  
  
'Once you are fully rested, Mr. Potter, I and the rest of the Order shall await your company in the phoenix dungeon.'  
  
With those words Dumbledore swept from the room. Sirius then stood up and spoke to madam Pomfrey.  
  
'Poppy, I'd like to stay with Harry, if it's alright with you.'  
  
Madame Pomfrey muttered her consent, and interrupted Harry's train of thought by shoving some foul tasting liquid down Harry's throat. He had been thinking about what Dumbledore had just said. Order? Phoenix dungeon? What was he on about? And just what had Dumbledore been saying before that, about him taking his place in the fight?  
  
Harry was just beginning to think properly about all these questions, when the potion he had just swallowed started to take effect, and he thought no more.  
  
Four hours later the sun was setting outside the infirmary window, and Harry awoke. He rubbed his eyes, initially forgetting where he was. He soon remembered, as the events of the past twenty-four hours came rushing back to him. He stepped gingerly out of bed, and, glancing about for the presence of Madame Pomfrey. He ascertained that the coast was clear, and stepped out of the infirmary. He wondered off down the corridor, savouring the feeling of just being back at Hogwarts, this was his home, it was where he belonged. He stopped in his tracks, by an odd yet beautiful sound that drifted through the air. It seemed so familiar, what was it? Harry forced himself to think back to last year, to that time, just after the tournament, and it was then that he remembered. Of course, Phoenix song  
  
The music seemed to be leading him down a passage off the side of the corridor. Harry had an odd feeling it hadn't been there before. He stepped down the stone stairway, and found himself facing a wooden doorway, its handle flickering eerily in the candlelight. Harry grasped the cold metal and opened the door, stepping over the threshold.  
  
He found himself in a round, high ceilinged room, its rafters stretching miles above. In the centre of the room was a huge, circular wooden table, and around this sat nearly all of Harry's professors, Sirius, Hagrid, Remus Lupin, and to Harry's great surprise, Mrs. Figg, his elderly next-door neighbour. He smiled in surprise, and she returned his grin, the twinkle in her eyes seeming all too familiar.  
  
Harry had found that his entrance had caused quite a stir in the room. Every face turned towards him, and whispers fanned out across the room like a slowly spreading fire. Dumbledore called silence, and turned to Harry.  
  
'Mr. Potter, we would like to welcome you to the Order of Phoenix. Ever since you were born, you have been destined to join this circle of wizards, fighting the evils of the magical world. You were born with a great weight upon your shoulders Harry, for you possess incredible power. You carry with you the legacy of none other than Merlin, the most powerful wizard ever to walk the planet. You can tip the balance of this entire battle, and you hold within you the power to destroy Voldemort forever. I am so sorry for never telling you any of this Harry, but we felt it was right to wait until you came into your powers. I can tell this is a shock for you, but you shan't be fighting alone, for there is another who too possesses the legacy of Merlin, because centuries ago, Slytherin, yet another incredibly powerful wizard, somehow found out how to duplicate the power, and passed it down again.'  
  
Dumbledore paused, giving Harry a moment with which to process all that he had said. It was like being hit with a ten-foot wall. He gave up trying and instead decided to start asking questions.  
  
'Is that why my parents were killed then?' He said in a quiet, unreadable voice. Sirius turned pale and tried to stand, Lupin held him back.  
  
'I will not lie to you Harry, yes, that is why. They died to protect you, for the greater good of the wizarding world.'  
  
'It's alright, I just needed to know that', again Harry sounded numb, it was as though he hadn't taken a word of what Dumbledore had said in.  
  
'Professor, who is the other one?'  
  
'Well Harry' his headmaster replied, 'it is in fact someone you know. You see him regularly, and you share an unusual bond, which will need to be strengthened for when you have to face Voldemort. However, whilst this boy will help you, it is you who must strike the killing blow'  
  
Through all the confusion, and all the shock, Harry felt his heart leap. Ron! It must be Ron, he and Ron would be working together to bring down Voldemort!  
  
'Severus' said Dumbledore, 'let the young man in please'.  
  
Severus Snape gave Harry a cold glance, as if to remind him that despite their change of situation, nothing had changed between them. Harry found himself recovering quickly enough to glare back. Snape strode to the door and yanked it open. Harry stood on tenterhooks, waiting to see that familiar flash of red hair, and found his jaw dropping to the floor.  
  
Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway.  
  
  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own NOTHING. Its all JK Rowlings, and the poem is Kiplings. Great people. 


	2. Chapter two

1 Chapter 2  
  
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,  
  
But make allowance for their doubting too; -  
  
Rudyard Kipling  
  
Harry was utterly speechless. Malfoy? His worst enemy? He tried to close his gaping mouth as Draco made his way slowly into the room, as cold and snobbish as ever. Harry then turned, gaping, to Dumbledore, waiting for an explanation. Dumbledore got the point.  
  
'Right Harry, I can see a little more explanation is needed.' At this there was a snort from Draco.  
  
'You see Harry, Slytherin managed to persuade the holder of Merlin's power at the time that he could provide them with more scope for their power. He tricked them. Somehow, and we don't really know how, Slytherin managed to harness the powers of that wizard, and to duplicate them. He was jealous you see, jealous of the power that this line of wizards could generate. He was determined to produce a line of his own, a line that would battle those who had inherited Merlin's legacy, to continue the battle for the dark side. Slytherin planned it so his own power would passed on through his direct descendants, and also that one carefully chosen ancestor would inherit the gifts which he had stolen from Merlin.'  
  
'As you might have guessed Harry, you, being directly descended from Merlin, have inherited his original legacy. Draco, being the most recent ancestor of Slytherin, has received the powers which Slytherin worked so hard to pass on.'  
  
'But then why aren't they being used for the dark side?' asked Harry, with a suspicious glance in Draco's direction.  
  
'Well Harry, Slytherin wasn't prepared for what was to occur after his death. Around the middle of the middle ages, Slytherins ancestor, Marcus Dracona, was engaged in a battle with the opposing Merlin descendant. Her name was Romana Fallony, one of the greatest seers the world has ever known, to don't mention that to professor Trelawney. Anyway, Marcus and Romana met for the battle which was the usual result of the war between good and bad. Marcus killed Romana in that battle, but before she died, she managed to make a prophecy, a prophecy which is already beginning to come true.'  
  
'And the prophecy was?'  
  
At this question, Dumbledore voice changed, it took on an ancient, echoing quality, the sound reverberated off the walls, ringing the chamber with his words. The faces of everyone else became a mere blur to Harry, who was aware of only himself, and the words that Dumbledore was saying.  
  
'Many years from now, when the evil battles good to drain on the society of magic, there will be a change. The survivor will delay the battle. The moon will leave its past and destiny behind. These two shall unite to form the brothers of the legacy, and together, they shall bring the absolute end to the dark side. The survivor shall conquer the snake, and the moon will conquer his demons. This is written, this shall be'.  
  
Dumbledore finished speaking, and Harry again became aware of everyone else in the room. He found himself looking into the eyes of Sirius, and tried to find what was hidden within them. He could see pride, fear, anxiety, maybe even love? Harry didn't know what to make of the last one, he had never really known love, and was scared to experience it. Love would only lead Voldemort to use it against him, to hurt the people he cared about. If Harry had to live without love to avoid more people getting hurt, then he was prepared to do it.  
  
He could hardly believe it, but he actually felt calm, as though this shocking revelation was something he had always known about. Even stranger still, something convinced Harry that some part of him had always known.  
  
When Dumbledore peered into his face again, Harry found himself for the first time, meeting those twinkling blue eyes with a steady, even gaze of his own, which in itself convinced Dumbledore that he had no more questions. He therefore sat down at the circular table, and Harry followed suit, sitting reluctantly next to Draco.  
  
'Now that we all know what is needed to be known, let us begin our meeting. Sirius, what news do you have.'  
  
Sirius rose, and Harry was immensely relieved to see that nobody round the table was looking at Sirius with any fear or mistrust. He assumed that those in the order were convinced of Sirius' innocence. Sirius cleared his throat and spoke.  
  
'Sorry Dumbledore, no real news as of yet. We are quite certain that he has set up his base somewhere in Kent, but we have to be careful about finding out just where, don't want him finding out and moving again. But if we.'  
  
Sirius was interrupted by Draco standing up abruptly and speaking clearly, a note of distain lingering in his voice.  
  
'Voldemort is currently residing in the sparrows nest, just south of Kent.'  
  
This news brought gasps from the group, though Harry wasn't sure whether this was at the news which Draco had just given, or the suspicion of how he had obtained this information. His thoughts were answered when Remus Lupin stood up.  
  
'Surely you don't mean there, that is where Dedalus Diggle lives, him and his family. And I can promise you now, the Diggles are not death eaters.'  
  
'No,' said Draco, the shafts of moonlight shining over his head. 'They're not death eaters. They're dead.'  
  
More gasps came at this statement, along with a general rush of loss and grief at the Diggles deaths.  
  
'I knew Dedalus, I went to school with them. So innocent, he loved a good time, he had to spoil it.'  
  
'He had 3 children, 3 pretty little children, and they're dead? All of them, all the pretty little ones?'  
  
Harry tried to stop listening to the words, so many horrible things, such a horrible tragedy, and again at the hands of Voldemort. Was it his fault again?  
  
He instead focused on Malfoy. Something had changed in his voice when he had said those words, it was almost as if something in him had broken. What was it? He looked across at the boys face, and his jaw nearly dropped again, because Draco had his head in his hands, looking as though the weight of the world had just fallen in upon his shoulders.  
  
'Tell us!' Shouted Sirius above the noise. 'Tell us what happened, why it happened'.  
  
At this the room fell silent, as everyone again stared at the boy with the silvery hair, shaking his head and shifting in his seat. Surprisingly, it was Dumbledore who answered.  
  
'That I am afraid, is something we are not able to discuss at the moment. Perhaps later down the line, when Mister Malfoy is ready.'  
  
'Dumbledore, we have to know, the Diggles were close friends of all of us.'  
  
'Shut up Black, leave Malfoy alone.'  
  
Heads again turned, this time in the direction of the new voice. Harry was not surprised to see that it belonged to Severus Snape. His beetle black eyes were glittering with malice, and his voice carried a subtle hint of a threat. Harry turned again, and saw Draco staring at his head of house in gratitude. He was about to sake his head, then he realised that, were he in Draco's position, he would look to Sirius for help.  
  
Sirius however, was glaring at Snape in loathing. Harry was almost frightened to see his face, for it was the face that Harry had looked upon the first time he had met Sirius, when he had thought him to be the murderer of his parents.  
  
'Nobody asked your opinion Snape.' Sirius spat out the word as if it were some sort of dreadful disease. Both Sirius and Snape were now seething at each other; Lupin was preparing to hold Sirius back. Dumbledore then decided to put a stop to the bickering. He rose again, clapping his hands.  
  
'Now now, may I remind you all that we are fighting for the same cause, we should be united. If we are not united, how are we ever to stand a chance against the enemy? All of you, you must realise that Draco here has given up everything to unite with us, to fight with us. He has shown bravery, and incredible courage, and that should be enough for all of you. Please do not question him. Do not judge him because of where he has come from, judge him for what he is.'  
  
The members of the order murmured their agreement, some looking slightly abashed by Dumbledores words. Draco, Harry noticed, had gone slightly pinkish in colour, at hearing such praise from a man he had criticised for four years.  
  
'Now, let us mourn the loss of the Diggles, and continue in our quest to save others who may follow. We must remember the fall of every one of us, as it will spur us on our quest. We have to defeat the dark side. If not for ourselves, but for the Diggles, and the others who may lose their lives in defence of what is good and what is right.'  
  
Harry thought back to Cedric, and swallowed hard.  
  
'I think it wise to end the meeting on that note, if there are no other points of business?' The order members shook their heads to say no.  
  
'Right then, that is all. Harry, can I see you now for a moment? And could Severus wait outside for a bit, I must speak with you both.'  
  
With that, the members of the order stood up, and moved towards the doorway, to where, Harry could only guess. Sirius came past him and bent over, saying 'I'll wait for you outside Harry'. Then he closed the door, leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone in the room.  
  
'Well Harry, needless to say you have had a bit of a shock tonight, you looked a little dazed for a while.' Moustache quivering, Dumbledore perched on the ridge of the table.  
  
Harry thrust his hands into his pockets, beginning to remember just how observant Dumbledore could be. 'Um, yeah sir.' He mumbled.  
  
'Don't worry Harry; it's a lot to take on board. Are you ready to accept your task, and work together with Draco?'  
  
Harry thought for a moment. Could he and Draco really work together? The prophecy had called them 'the brothers of the legacy', though it was remarkably scary to think of himself and Draco as brothers. Yet something was different about him now, something in the way he spoke and moved reminded Harry of a man who had been pushed to the edge, and who had dragged themselves back, no matter what the cost to himself. He made a decision.  
  
'Yes professor, I think I can work with Draco.'  
  
'Good Harry, very good. The two of you will need each other to talk to, what with Draco's, experience, and the attack on your home.'  
  
'Are they all dead, professor?' Harry asked, an odd note in his voice.  
  
Dumbledore sighed, the worn crags in his face flickering in the moonlight. 'Yes Harry, I'm afraid they are. When Lucius Malfoy realised that you had gone, they found your aunt and cousin waiting outside the kitchen door. I know it may be of no comfort to you, but their deaths were very quick, and painless. I'm so sorry Harry, this must be very hard for you.'  
  
Harry said nothing, his mind was spinning. That was it, his entire family had been wiped out, simply because they were related to him. No, he said to himself, love was no longer allowed. It was merely a curse for him.  
  
He replied to Dumbledore, letting his eyes give nothing away. 'They shouldn't have died.'  
  
Dumbledore nodded. Harry wasn't sure whether he had accepted what Harry had said as his true feelings, but he was grateful that Dumbledore was prepared to leave it at that. He wasn't overly saddened by the Dursleys deaths, but it was true, they should not have died.  
  
'Is there anything else professor?'  
  
'Yes Harry, its about the arrangements for this year. I'm afraid you can no longer sleep in the Gryffindor dormitories. There is a room adjacent to the phoenix dungeon for your and Draco's personal use, and that is where you shall be sleeping. You are in every way still a Gryffindor Harry, don't forget that. You will still be earning house points and playing quidditch. You have been elected prefect this year as well, by your teachers. The reason you and Draco will be sharing rooms is merely a matter of convenience, it will allow you to easily make your way to the phoenix dungeon, without attracting attention. You shouldn't have to put that much energy into schoolwork this year, your new powers should make it seem quite easy.'  
  
'Professor,' Harry interrupted, 'What about Ron and Hermione?'  
  
'What about them Harry? You can still see them in your free time, I very much doubt that we could stop you being friends with them. I must ask that you do not mention to them anything about the order, it may put them in danger. Miss Granger I'm sure, will in time work out your involvement in Voldemorts downfall, but until then, I think it best not to say anything about that either.'  
  
Harry nodded. What Dumbledore said was true, telling Ron and Hermione about everything would only put them at more risk. He couldn't tell them, even if they were his best friends.  
  
'Right then Harry, I think that is all. If you make your way to your new accommodation, I'm sure Draco will be happy to show you around.'  
  
Harry shuddered at the thought, and opened the dungeon door. He was greeted by venomous shouting, coming from Snape and Sirius.  
  
'You utter Bastard Snape, you slimy little git!'  
  
'Just because I don't worship the ground Potter walks on Black! You were just the same with his father, always sticking up for that arrogant, big headed idiot.'  
  
'Take that back!'  
  
'One of these days Black, you are going to find yourself in a lot of trouble, just from knowing Potter. How are you going to be able to defend him when you're dead? He has that problem you know, I call it a lack of people skills.'  
  
'How dare you! Harry is going to save us all.'  
  
'Potter is going to kill us all! The sooner you realise that, the better!'  
  
Dumbledore surged past Harry, looking furious. Before he even had a chance to get between the two men, Sirius had pulled his fist back, and slammed it so hard into Snapes face that he had fallen to the ground, out cold.  
  
It was then that Sirius looked up, noticing Dumbledore, and then looking past to se Harry. His face was stricken, and there was absolute desolation in his emerald green eyes. Sirius felt his heart plummeting, as though someone had just thrown it off the top of a building. He started forward.  
  
'Harry, I'm so sorry, don't listen to Snape, you know he's a prick.' Dumbledore moved silently out the way, levitating Snape with his wand and leading him down the corridor.  
  
Dumbledores departure jerked Harry into life, he yanked his head upwards, and tried feebly to smile.  
  
'Of course he's a prick Sirius, I don't listen to him ever. He's always had something against me.'  
  
There was something in Harry's manner that told Sirius he wasn't being entirely truthful.  
  
'You know there's no truth in what Snape said, it's not your fault Harry, none of this is. Me and the order, we all believe that.'  
  
'It isn't my fault Sirius, but I am the reason that these things happen, aren't I?'  
  
To this Sirius had no answer. He longed to do something to help, to lift Harry's shoulders just a bit, to see some sort of smile on that weary face. He cursed Pettigrew again for putting him in Azkaban, for denying him that chance to convince Harry that he did have a family that cared.  
  
Harry tried to change the subject, he asked an outright question.  
  
'Where were you this summer Sirius, you said you'd come and see me again soon, but there were no letters, no calls, nothing.'  
  
This time Sirius felt torn apart by guilt, seeing the hurt that now shone out of Harry's beacon like eyes. So many times this summer, he had prepared to apparate to Privet Drive, to send an owl, to show some sign to Harry. Yet every time, Remus had held him back. Had told him that he couldn't do anything to jeopardise their hiding spot, to give anything away to Voldemort or the Ministry. He searched for the words to explain this to Harry, but then he realised, there was no excuse, he should have found a way.  
  
'I'm so sorry Harry.'  
  
'It's alright Sirius, I know you were busy, I was just being selfish.' Even to Harry's ears his voice sounded strained. Sirius winced visibly.  
  
'I'm tired Sirius, I'm going to bed. I guess I'll see you in the morning.' With that Harry opened and closed the door behind him, leaving Sirius facing a wall, and feeling desperate with guilt.  
  
Harry steeped fully into the room, and was almost pleasantly surprised. There were two stuffed, comfy armchairs plonked round a crackling fireplace, and between them a small table. In the corners on the room were large four-poster beds, similar to those of his old dormitory, with his suitcase already there for him. Along the side of the room was what Harry guessed to be a gigantic walk in wardrobe, probably to house Draco's large range of clothes. The room was bathed in an amber light, and was really in Harry's opinion quite welcoming. There was another door on the wall, leading to what was unmistakeably a bathroom.  
  
Harry came round to the armchairs, and collapsed into one, briefly registering the presence of Draco Malfoy in the other armchair. Draco leaned back, the malicious smirk firmly in place on his face.  
  
'So Potter, you and me working together, just don't start calling me brother, I don't want the wrong sort of people getting the wrong sort of ideas.'  
  
'Just what do you mean by that Malfoy?' Harry's voice had an almost dangerous edge to it.  
  
'Well, hearing what's happened to the other members of your uh, family, I don't really want to find myself in that position.' Draco had barely a moment to smirk in triumph before Harry went berserk.  
  
'That's it, you and me Malfoy, are going to sort out this problem, right now! You are going to tell me why you have spent four years going out your way to be a complete bastard to me, and why you feel it right to bring up the one thing in the world which tortures me the most. What gives you the bloody right to do that, to laugh at those who have had everyone they have ever called family taken away from them.'  
  
Draco felt his own blood beginning to boil, and he too raised himself from the chair.  
  
'You want to know why I behave like I do, do you? Why shouldn't I go out my way to put down perfect, good Harry Potter, nobody else bloody does. What gives me the right to say that to you, well imagine this. Imagine having a family, a family who do love you, and having to give them up of your own free will, just imagine it! And you want to know why I can say one nice, friendly thing to you, just remember, I did once, and you threw it back in my face!'  
  
Both boys stood facing each other, each scarlet in the face with anger. Harry was struck by a sudden realisation. All this bitterness, all this meanness, all of it had stemmed from Draco's hurt when Harry had refused his friendship, when Harry had refused to shook his hand. Draco had spent 4 years trying to make up for that one humiliation. Harry could feel the anger evaporating.  
  
'Malfoy, tell me what happened at the Diggles.'  
  
Draco then let it out, he didn't know why, maybe it was an eagerness to get it off his chest, maybe to tell it to someone who might understand what he was going through.  
  
'It was my fault, all of it. My dad took me with him that night, told me that my time had come, that it was a special day in the Malfoy house. He took us to the Diggles house, there were a group of death eaters outside. They said they were going to make it their base, their headquarters. We went inside, to meet him, to meet Voldemort.' Draco froze, remembering painful memories, then continued.  
  
He told me that he knew what I was, said that him and me were the same, broke from the same mould. He asked if I was ready to join him, at his right hand side, to bring down Potter, you'  
  
'And I said no, I don't know why, that was the moment I had waited for all my life, but something inside me told me I couldn't do it. He said he thought that I needed persuading, then he brought out the Diggles.' With that, Harry could see a tear forming in the corner of Draco's eye, and yet still he continued.  
  
'My father came forward, told him I knew the killing curse, that I would join him, or I would lose my family and friends. So he offered me a choice, kill the Diggles myself, or have him do it in a more painful way.'  
  
Harry tried to interrupt. 'Malfoy, it's ok, you don't have to tell me'.  
  
But Draco wasn't listening , he kept on going.  
  
'They brought Diggle first. I still said I wouldn't do it, that I couldn't do it. So Voldemort, he exploded him, right in front of us all, in front of his family, and then he laughed, laughed at the mess he had made.'  
  
Harry felt sick.  
  
'He asked again, I still said no, and then he started with the children. I was shaking by then, I'd been sick, it only made him laugh more. The last one to go was the smallest child, only 5 years old, and Voldemort suffocated her with thin air, he made it slow, painful, all because I couldn't end it for her, I was too cowardly.' The tears began to fall freely from Draco's eyes, Harry could feel his own eyes watering.  
  
'And then I snapped, things started to fly round the room, hitting the death eaters, they were all very confused. I apparated away, landed on Hogwarts front lawn, right in front of Dumbledore. I told him I wanted to do everything I could to help him, that I was on his side. Your side. That was a week ago, I've been here since.'  
  
With that, Draco finished, his breath coming in rasps. Harry rose, knowing exactly what to do, and held his hand out to Draco, his own voice hoarse.  
  
'Hello, Pleased to meet you Draco Malfoy, I'm looking forward to working with you for the order of phoenix. Care to get to know me better, I feel we could be quite good friends, my name's Harry Potter by the way.'  
  
Draco looked at Harry for a moment as if he were mad, then he seized his hand with an eagerness Harry hadn't expected, pulling Harry back down into his seat. Then Draco leaned forward, a gleam in his eye.  
  
'Not the Harry Potter?'  
  
The following morning, Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore pushed open the door to the boy's bedroom cautiously, expecting to find utter chaos. To their eternal surprise, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were still up, still in their chairs, engaged in a conversation about the uselessness of Professor Trelawney.  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat and the boys looked up.  
  
'I'm sorry boys, but again I have bad news, concerning Mister Fudge.'  
  
'What has he done now professor?'  
  
'He is dead Harry, and his replacement is Lucius Malfoy.'  
  
Disclaimer: Alas, this story is merely a cheap rip off of Miss Rowlings Creations, and the poem is Kipling's. I own nothing, dammit. 


	3. Chapter three

Chapter 3  
  
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,  
  
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, -  
  
R. Kipling  
  
The rest of the holidays crawled by for Harry and Draco. Training had begun with several of the Hogwarts teachers, in order to prepare them for the inevitable battle that they would one day have to face. They were taught about restorative and medical potions by Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape, who was as bitter as ever, but who seemed to be holding back some of his meanness towards Harry. Harry presumed that this was a result of what Dumbledore had said to Snape, that night he had caught him arguing with Sirius. Charms was taught by professor Flitwick, who was aided by Fleur Delacour, much to Draco's delight. She had turned up the day after Harry had, pledging her allegiance to Dumbledore, and promising to help train the two boys. Defence against dark curses, and duelling techniques were taught by none other than Dumbledore himself.  
  
Much to the two boys disappointment, none of the lessons were particularly exciting, the initial shock of their destiny (and Draco's pleasure at seeing Fleur that often), had dulled down into a sort of stupor. As part of the legacy, both Harry and Draco had found that they could pick up new concepts and spells with relative ease, and could use them with about twice as much power as an ordinary wizard. Such was the speed of their learning, that several lessons had been postponed until Halloween, mainly because the professors had run out of things to teach them. Harry smiled to himself, as he tried to imagine Hermione's reaction when she discovered that he could now rival he for the top scores of the class. He could bet that it wouldn't be pretty.  
  
With all the time they had on their hands, Draco and Harry had become very good friends. It was almost as though 4 years of history had been erased, and Harry felt like Draco was a life long friend. They would practice quidditch together, go down to see Hagrid, and talk long into the night about almost everything. Childhood, magic, the prophecy, girls. Draco had even been told about Cho Chang. When he saw the letter, he looked up at Harry, and reassured him that it wasn't his fault. Then he went on to make Harry laugh, as he said 'ah well, she's small. Stamp on her, it will make you feel better.'  
  
In fact, Harry thought guiltily, he and Draco did all the normal things that he and Ron would do together. He felt as though he was betraying him. This feeling was heightened by the fact that Harry hadn't written back to the Weasley's to tell them he couldn't make it to Diagon Alley. He had only remembered when another letter had come for him from Ginny the following day.  
  
Harry,  
  
Are you all right? Everyone back here is worried sick about you, you never made it. Hermione said you weren't the forgetful sort, and Ron sort of called you a prick, but I'm sure he didn't mean it (he's still grounded by the way!). Please write back, mum is going frantic, I think she's going to start tearing up the furniture soon. I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express, if you are still alive after Ron and Mum have got through with you. Bye!  
  
Ginny  
  
Harry clapped his hand to his mouth, he'd completely forgot! He started to scribble a reply to Ginny, and found himself at a loss for what to say. Dumbledore had forbidden him to tell anyone, what could he possibly say. He also knew that he would not be there to see them at Kings Cross on September the first, as Ginny thought he would be. He knew he had to reply, but thought carefully before he put pen to paper.  
  
Ginny,  
  
Call off the search, I'm fine! I'm staying at Hogwarts, Dumbledore thinks it's better to stay here, in light of You-know-who's return. I am so sorry I didn't reply in time, but there are an unbelievable number of things going on in the castle at this time, maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. Professor Snape is here, which is needless to say, interesting. I'll tell you who else is here, Draco Malfoy. He's angered his father for some reason, probably screwed up a death eater mission or something. Anyway, him and me actually have to share a room this year, 'for our protection' Dumbledore said. Don't worry, I'm still a Gryffindor, and tell Ron I'll be looking forward to seeing him try out as keeper on the team!  
  
So sorry again, see you September the first!  
  
1 Harry  
  
Harry re-read the letter, a frown crossed over his features. He felt bad for lying about Draco and the fact that they were now friends, but he didn't want to make Ron any angrier than he already was. He also felt bad about lying to Ginny, this was the second time she had taken the time to write to him. He sent Hedwig out the window with a heavy heart, and sank back down onto his bed. He heard the door to the room open, and assumed Draco had gotten back from his meeting with Dumbledore. He was surprised to see Sirius in the doorway, with a very odd look on his face.  
  
'Hey Harry' he said tentatively.  
  
'Lo Sirius'. This was the first time they had spoken since that awful conversation after Harry had found out about the legacy of Merlin. He searched Sirius's face, and found him looking hopeful, and desperately in need of forgiveness. Harry knew it would feel good to forgive.  
  
'Look..' he started, 'I'm so sorry about the way I acted that night. I guess I was upset about what Snape said. I know that nothing is going to stop me feeling awful about what happened to Cedric that night, but I've made up my mind to do my best to stop it happening to anyone else.'  
  
Sirius was shocked, Harry had sounded so grown up, and yet he dared to hope that he might finally be moving on, and that things would become better between them.  
  
'Harry, I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have listened to what Remus said, I should have found a way to see you, or at least to contact you. It wasn't fair, what I did, and I hope you can forgive me.'  
  
'Remus wouldn't let you go?'  
  
'Yeah, he said that showing up at Privet Drive could get me spotted and arrested, and letters could be tracked, he told me it would jeopardise the safety of me and the order.'  
  
Harry was shocked, he should've realised that Sirius would have a good reason to stay away; he knew now that he had been selfish that night.  
  
'Oh god Sirius, I didn't even think about that!'  
  
'Hey, it's fine, it doesn't matter now. What's important is you knowing that I am still here for you if you need anything, that I haven't abandoned you.' With that, the older man leaned forward and enveloped Harry into an awkward hug. When he looked down at Harry, he was surprised to see a true yet shocked looking smile on his face, as though this were the first time any guardian had shown any real concern, or even affection for him. It filled Sirius with a fierce desire to protect his godson, no matter what.  
  
It was then that Draco walked in. A brief smile crossed his features as he saw that Harry had finally made up with Sirius.  
  
'So, anyone up for quidditch?'  
  
  
  
The next day, somewhat further away from Hogwarts, Ginny Weasley was perched on the windowsill of her topsy-turvy room in the Burrow. Her long waves of auburn hair streamed carelessly down the windowpane, as she gazed out at nowhere in particular. Her thoughts were largely concerned with a certain black haired quidditch player who had a habit for surviving near death situations. She was very worried about Harry; it simply was not like him to ignore the offer to meet with his friends, especially after he had had such a lonely summer. There was also the fact that her stomach still made small flip-flops when she even thought about him. She had been so looking forward to reading a letter from Harry that was actually addressed to her, and his lack of reply made her both worried and severely disappointed.  
  
She could hear Ron and Hermione upstairs. Hermione had gone back with them after the trip to Diagon Alley, and in 3 days had become Ron's girlfriend. Ginny hadn't been listening properly, but from what she had heard, Krum had wanted Hermione to transfer to Durmstrang after she had gone to Bulgaria, so they could be a long term couple, and Hermione had refused, saying that she couldn't bear to leave Harry, or lose Ron. She promptly packed her bags and returned to England, and she and Ron were now in the process of living happily ever after.  
  
It wasn't that Ginny wasn't pleased for them, it was just that seeing them, hearing them, only reminded her of Harry, and what she would never have with him.  
  
Ginny gave her reflection in the window a long hard stare. Sure, she would never be beautiful, but she wasn't exactly ugly. Her eyes were a deep brown, the colour of melted chocolate. Her hair was the least red of all the Weasley's, it was a deep auburn mass of curls which, with sleek-easy, could be sculpted into glittering waves of what looked like fire. There was a dusting of freckles across her nose, and she had a smile, which lit, up all of her slightly pointed face.  
  
She wasn't kidding herself, she knew Harry was very much into Cho Chang, but would she even be denied a letter from him?  
  
It was just as she was thinking this that Hedwig flew into through the top window, almost making Ginny fall out in surprise. She eagerly threw herself off the ledge, leaping over the scattered copies of Witch Weekly that were littered on the floor. Hedwig stood stock still as Ginny removed the letter tied to her leg. She read it over twice, her heart leaping with every word. He had replied! All that time she had spent constructing that friendly, well-worded letter had paid off. And he was going to talk to her! Ginny just hoped she could control herself this time, and stop herself blushing and falling apart like she normally did. Maybe Harry could even be friends with he this year, and who knows what else?  
  
Now get a hold of yourself, Ginny scolded herself, one step at a time. She carried the letter down the hallway as if it was a precious jewel, climbing the stairs slowly and stopping at Ron's door. She knocked, not wanting to interrupt him and Hermione.  
  
'What is it?' came Ron's muffled voice.  
  
'Letter from Harry'  
  
The door was yanked open and the freckled face of Ron Weasley stood in the doorway, Hermione in the background. She had changed remarkably over the summer. The sun had touched her skin, giving her face an almost olive quality. There was a light shining in her eyes now, which in itself transformed her entirely from an awkward, slightly clumsy girl into a lovely young woman. Why her brother would have that effect on a girl, Ginny couldn't tell.  
  
Ron himself had changed. Other than shooting up another inch or so, there was a thin coating of stubble crossing his chin, which Hermione had taken to stroking fondly at the breakfast table, much to the twins amusement. There was something else about him too, something that gave him an air of maturity and reason, which hadn't been present before. This however wasn't that noticeable, as he leaped on top of his younger sister and wrestled the letter from her grasp.  
  
'What is that silly prat doing writing to you? I'm not grounded anymore!' He stopped briefly to read the letter, and almost fell over when he read the news about Malfoy. 'Mione, read this, you won't believe it, poor Harry.'  
  
Hermione took the letter with slightly more grace than Ron had; her eyebrows shot skywards as she too read Harry's news. 'Oh, poor Harry! Imagine, a whole year of Malfoy.'  
  
'I'm sure we can find a way of sorting this out' Ron muttered ominously, looking mutinous.  
  
'But Ron, Dumbledore said..'  
  
'It doesn't matter what Dumbledore said, for gods sake Hermione, don't you care about Harry's well being at all?'  
  
'Of course I care Ron! It isn't fair to say that'  
  
Ginny snatched up the letter and left, leaving them to it. She had a feeling that maybe things between her brother and his girlfriend weren't so happy after all. She stopped in the hallway, seeing her mother coming up the stairs.  
  
'Mum, I have a letter from Harry!'  
  
She didn't hear her mothers reply, as she was concentrating on the galloping figure of Molly Weasley that was fast approaching her. Again the letter was wrenched from her grip, as Mrs. Weasley scanned the paper vigorously, mumbling to herself as she read.  
  
'So he's at Hogwarts! But I don't understand, surely Albus would've said, and a Malfoy, oh my poor dear, must be so lonely, perhaps a present. yes I think there's a jumper in the attic, I'll have to get rid of that damn ghoul'  
  
And without another word, she dropped the letter absentmindedly on the floor, removed her wand from her apron pocket, and started to climb the final set of stairs in the Burrow, with a grim look on her face.  
  
And so Ginny, having told enough members of the family, was again left alone with her thoughts and her letter, the letter she had waited and waited for, she still hadn't let it sink in. Harry had written to her, he hadn't even mentioned the dreaded 'Ron's little sister' phrase once. It was almost too good to be true. She climbed back on her perch. sighed contentedly, and fell asleep with Harry Potter's words clutched to her heart.  
  
Disclaimer: Again, not a damn character is mine, it's all J.K's. And the poem, again thieved from Mr. Kipling's exceedingly good writing. 


	4. Chapter four

Chapter 4  
  
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,  
  
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; -  
  
R. Kipling  
  
The first of September dawned crisp and clear at Hogwarts. The birdsong cut across the fresh autumn air that hung about in the courtyard. And for the first time in his life, Harry had woken up on a school day at midday. He opened his eyes blearily to find Draco staring at him with an amused sort of glint in his eyes. Harry rubbed his own eyes, and opened his mouth in what was a fairly unattractive yawn.  
  
'Please Harry, much more than I needed to see, and just how much of that curry did you eat last night?' Said Draco, waving his hand frantically in front of his face as if to waft away the smell.  
  
Harry managed a tired smile, and rose slowly, his mind focused entirely on other things. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to explain the fact that Draco Malfoy was now a good friend to Ron, and he knew that the explanation he had sent to the Weasley's would not be enough to satisfy Hermione, who was the smartest witch at Hogwarts. All in all, Harry was extremely worried about the explaining he would have to do to his friends later on that day, he hated so much to lie to them, but he had no other options. He had written frequent letters to the Weasley's, and had even gotten a couple of replies from Ron, who seemed to have been finally forgiven by his formidable mother. The letters had been brief, full of complaints about what Hermione had done that day to correct him, with Hermione's neat handwriting cropping up in the page to explain just what is was that Ron had actually done wrong in the first place. Harry chuckled to himself, thinking 'trust those two, even when they're going out they're still bickering with each other'. Thinking about this only made Harry remember about the task he had to face this evening, which quickly bought his chuckles to an end.  
  
Draco, looking at Harry's worried face from across the room, instantly recognised that something was wrong. However, despite how close they had become, Draco just was not equipped to cope with other people's problems. Years of his fathers teaching had taught him to keep his problems to himself, and to let others deal with their own problems. Just thinking of his father brought back painful memories, memories that Draco was anxious to forget. So, he suggested the best thing he could think of to help both him and Harry forget their woes.  
  
'Fancy playing quidditch?'  
  
The quidditch pitch was gloriously bright in the autumn sunlight, the grass was shining green as Harry and Draco made their way out onto the field. Both held their brooms in their hands. Harry had his firebolt, Draco his Nimbus 2001. Over the summer they had played a wide variety of various broom related games, involving different degrees of skill, and danger, one such game resulting in Harry whacking a quaffle into the whomping willow. The ball had remained in the clutches of the dreaded tree ever since, as no one would volunteer to fetch it. Madam Hooch had not been pleased.  
  
Today, the boys had decided to play beaters. They both held clubs in their hands, and had to take turns in trying to hit the bludgers through the goal hoops. So far, Draco was doing rather well; Harry was doing not so good. But it didn't really matter to the dark haired boy soaring through the air. Flying was the only way in which Harry could completely let go of anything that was currently bothering him in life, and he loved it. He flew over the deserted stands, brushing the woodwork with the tips of his toes, feeling as light as a feather. He raised the club in his hands, and his the bludger with all the pent up anxiety that had come with his worries about Ron and Hermione, sending it thundering over the pitch, almost smacking a shocked looking Draco in the face. Draco rolled over in the hair, and came upright, his white blond hair flopping all over the place.  
  
'Jesus Christ Harry, what was that about?'  
  
Harry flew towards Draco, looking ever so sheepish. 'Erm, sorry, wasn't really concentrating on the game.'  
  
Draco smirked slightly. 'That much is obvious, perhaps we should call it a day, being as I have a desire to keep all my limbs in tact.'  
  
'All right' said Harry, then, raising the tip of his broom in his hands, he bent it down sharply and dived, wind whipping his hair and clothing backwards, screaming 'race you!'  
  
That was one of the things that struck Draco about Harry, as he was racing behind him. That, despite all that was said about him, all that he had done, all that was, he was still just a boy. A child even.  
  
The only real friends that Draco had had before were Crabbe and Goyle and, sad as it was to admit to himself, they had probably only been his friends because they didn't have the brains to go elsewhere. But Harry was different, maybe it was sharing the legacy that had done it, or perhaps the thought of having to work together to bring down Voldemort, but there was now a friendship between them. He now knew Harry better than he had ever known anyone, and Harry knew more about him than he had ever told anyone else. And, loathed as he was to admit it, having that kind of friend felt good.  
  
He touched down on the grass about five seconds after Harry did. Harry was waiting for him, cheeks flushed from the cool air and the excitement of being up in the air again. But there was still something in his eyes, something that said he was clearly worrying about something. But Draco wasn't going to pry, that was Harry's business. Together the two boys made their way back up to the castle, to await the arrival of the other Hogwarts students, each with a slight feeling of apprehension.  
  
It was early in the evening when the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Draco and Harry stood at the platform with Hagrid, having gotten special permission from Dumbledore to go down and meet the students at the station. Harry was chewing on his lower lip anxiously, waiting for a flash of red hair that belonged to Ron, or Hermione's bushy brown hair. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing round at the bustling station. He finally caught a glimpse of the two of them, making their way across the platform with Ginny trailing behind them. He noticed rather amusedly that Ron was holding Hermione's hand.  
  
They spotted him, and increased their pace, finally fighting their way through the hoard of frantic first years that were crowding round Hagrid. Hermione reached Harry first, and threw her arms around him, giving him a huge bear hug, without even noticing that Draco was standing at his side.  
  
'Hermione!' Harry said, looking embarrassed as he got her to release her grip on him. When he had freed himself, he looked behind Hermione to see Ron standing there, beaming. He stepped forward and clapped Harry on the back.  
  
'Wow Harry, haven't seen you all holidays, what have you been up to, how's .' and Ron's voice trailed off as he caught sight of Draco standing by Harry's side, looking slightly defensive at the hostile glares he was receiving from Harry's other friends.  
  
'Yes, well' said Hermione, going back to firmly ignoring Draco, 'We should probably go and get a carriage.'  
  
'Yeah' said Ron, again holding Hermione's hand, 'Come on Harry'. Then he finally acknowledged Draco, saying 'Haven't you got some bodyguards somewhere who could see you up to the school Malfoy?'  
  
Surprisingly for Ron, Hermione and Ginny, it was Harry who spoke. 'Actually Ron, I was wondering if Draco could go in the same carriage as us up to the school'  
  
Shock registered on the face of his best friend, and Harry knew what Ron must have been thinking. Firstly, he had called Draco by his first name, something Ron had never heard him do before, despite the fact that Harry himself had gotten quite used to doing it over the summer. Secondly, he wanted Draco to share their carriage. Ever since he had begun Hogwarts, him, Ron and Hermione had been sharing train compartments, boats and carriages, and had absorbed themselves in their own world. In the past, Malfoy had just been the unpleasant thing that had interrupted that world for a bit every train ride. Now Harry was asking Ron if he could actually share their compartment. Their world.  
  
'I'm not sure' said Ron, his voice sounding remarkably tight. 'Ginny wants to go up with us this year, don't you Gin?' he asked, turning to his little sister, who looked quite unsure of what to do.  
  
'I'm sure it won't be a problem, we can all fit in. If not, Ginny can always sit on my knee!' Harry said determinedly, trying also to lighten the mood and in the process making Ginny blush furiously.  
  
'Alright' said Hermione, trying to sound reasonable, 'let's just try to get one of the bigger carriages, okay?' And with that the five of them made their way towards the long string of horseless carriages that were stationed to one side of the platform. Draco followed tentatively, walking behind Harry, not even noticing Ron's glare, who looked as though he were toying with the idea of throwing Malfoy off the platform and onto the train tracks. Draco didn't really have any idea of what to do, he wanted to say something back to put Weasley in his place, but he knew that he was Harry's best friend, and that held him back. He realised what Harry had been worrying about earlier on in the day. He himself hadn't realised just how complicated things were going to be with him and the others all being Harry's friends, there was no real hope of him and Ron ever getting along. Still Harry had been resolved to tell Ron and Hermione that they were now friends, and Draco was just going to go along with that.  
  
The ride back up to school was fairly awkward to say the least, nobody really said very much. Harry had wanted to recount all that had happened over the summer, or to ask what had happened to Ron and Hermione, but he found that something held him back every time he opened his mouth to say something, and he went back to staring absentmindedly out of the window.  
  
Oddly enough, the only person to attempt conversation was Ginny, who turned to Draco halfway back to the castle and asked timidly, 'so, how was your summer'.  
  
Draco paused for a moment, getting over his shock at being asked a polite question by a Weasley, then thinking up an answer, finding himself coming out with 'fine thanks'.  
  
'How was your summer?' he asked, almost as an afterthought.  
  
And so Ginny started talking about what she'd done over the holiday in minute detail, hardly pausing for breath, as if determined that some form of talking should occur between them all. When she finally finished, she looked around the cart to see Ron looking flabbergasted, Hermione looking pleased, Draco looking bemused, and Harry, well Harry looked almost proud, making Ginny glow inwardly.  
  
They arrived at the entrance to Hogwarts, and the occupants of the carriage piled out of it like it was on fire. Once they had made there way into the great hall, Draco separated from the group, saying he had to go sit with the Slytherins. Harry was about to invite him to their table, but was stopped by the look Ron gave him. Draco smiled ruefully and disappeared.  
  
The moment he was gone, Ron rounded on Harry. 'All right, what the hell was that about? Is this something that Dumbledore is making you do?'  
  
'Ah, no Ron, it's just that..' Harry trailed off, searching for the words to explain. 'Over the summer, I've had to spend a lot of time with Draco, and I've gotten to know him, and well, he's become, quite a good friend actually.' He finished, looking around at his friends desperately. He was met with three jaw dropped faces. Everyone else was speechless.  
  
It was Hermione who found words first, though she hadn't yet mustered the ability to speak proper English apparently.  
  
'But, Draco? Harry, he. Draco?'  
  
'Look, I know it sounds hard to believe, but he has changed over the summer, he's really not that bad.'  
  
'Not that bad?? I can't believe I'm hearing you say this Harry.' Came Ron's voice, sounding slightly louder than he had intended it to.  
  
'Maybe we should sit down now,' said Ginny nervously, there were people looking up from there tables now. 'I'm sure you can carry on this erm, discussion later.'  
  
And with that the four Gryffindors sat down to watch the sorting ceremony, Ron giving Harry a look that told him clearly that the conversation wasn't over yet. So preoccupied was he over the imminent argument that was going to take place, that Harry missed the ceremony entirely (A/N: I'm sorry, I'm just not creative enough to write the sorting!).  
  
Oddly enough, Harry and Ron didn't have a chance to finish their talk that whole night. Parvati and Lavender were sitting near them at the table, giggling and flirting with Harry, much to Harry's bewilderment (and Ginny's anger).  
  
'So Harry, you played a lot of Quidditch over the summer?' asked Parvati, leaning in and fluttering her eyelashes furiously. Harry nodded, looking confused.  
  
'It certainly shows!' said Lavender, giggling and touching Harry's arm. Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ginny put her head in her hands. Harry was confused, none of the girls had really had an interest in him in all the other years at Hogwarts, unless you counted Moaning Myrtle, which Harry really rather wouldn't. He had, he supposed, done a lot more exercise than he usually did, but surely he hadn't changed that much had he? Looking around the hall, he could see several girls giving him conspicuous glances from their tables, and he turned back to his food, looking utterly confounded.  
  
Towards the end of the meal, Fred and George Weasley came running up to Harry, and each grabbed an arm, yanking him away from a rather disappointed looking Parvati and Lavender. Before Ron or Hermione could do anything to stop them, they had pulled Harry all the way out of the Hall, shouting 'Secret Quidditch business' as they left. Harry wondered how it could possibly be secret business after they had yelled it out to the whole hall, but didn't have a chance to ask Fred and George about it, being that they busy dragging him up the stairs. They finally came to a stop at the Gryffindor common room, where, Harry realised with a pang; he would no longer be sleeping. He found that the rest of the team were already there, looking slightly disgruntled at the early end to the feast.  
  
'What is this about Fred?' Said Angelina Johnson, leaning back on a couch and crossing her arms at her boyfriend.  
  
'Well, two things really Angelina dear' Fred said, his grin fading slightly as he looked at the withering expression on his girlfriend's face. 'Erm, George, you explain' He said, gesturing to his twin, who stepped forward, beaming at his teammates.  
  
'Firstly, we need a new keeper. Secondly, we need a new captain. Suggestions?' The rest of the team leaned back and groaned in exasperation.  
  
'Is that all?' said Katie Bell. 'We were going to hold try outs for keeper on Saturday, and we already had that meeting at the end of term to work out who our new captain would be.'  
  
'Wait' said Harry, 'I never went to that meeting'  
  
'That would be because we voted you to be our captain, you daft prick' came George's reply. 'That is, if you want to'  
  
Harry didn't even need to consider it. 'Of course I'll do it!'  
  
The rest of the team mumbled their congratulations, and by that time Harry decide it was time for bed, He bid his new team goodnight, after agreeing on a time for Saturdays trials, and asking Fred and George to say sorry to Ron and Hermione for him. He made his way through the castle slowly, stopping at the door to his room and stepping inside. Draco was already there in bed, though clearly not asleep. He waited until Harry had shut the door before he spoke.  
  
'I've been thinking. Maybe I shouldn't hang around you when you're with Ron and Hermione anymore.' Draco had tried to sound like he wasn't bothered, but he wasn't fooling anyone.  
  
'No,' said Harry firmly, 'that is not going to happen, you are my friend, so are they, they are going to have to deal with it. Goodnight.' And with that Harry got into bed and turned off the light, going immediately to sleep.  
  
Draco allowed himself a small smile as he too closed his eyes.  
  
The week up to the quidditch trials passed fairly uneventfully, with the exception that Harry was now excelling in every single subject, much to the well-concealed dismay of Hermione, who found that her best friend was now beating her in many, if not all subjects. The conversation with Ron the morning after the welcome feast had been fairly tense, but Ron and Harry had eventually agreed to disagree about Malfoy, mainly due to the interference and reason of Hermione.  
  
Snape was missing in lessons, oddly enough. Harry felt that, being an almost member of the order, he had a right to know just what it was that Snape was doing to help in the fight against Voldemort, but when he had sent a letter to Sirius asking him to explain, he had merely said that he didn't know either, which Harry found fairly hard to believe. Still, the absence of the potions master had been a fairly welcome change for the fifth year Gryffindors, Ron had gone so far as to lead the class in a round of 'Hip hip hooray' as the supply teacher had announced Snaps failure to come to work. He was stopped by Hermione however, who didn't feel that Ron's song had been the most mature of things to due. The argument between them had lasted all lesson, though they did make it up outside the potions room, making Harry wish they would go back to fighting.  
  
Professor Lupin was also teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts again, mainly due to the fact that he was continuing Harry and Draco's training from where Dumbledore had left off. Harry didn't really care what the reason was, professor Lupin was his favourite ever teacher, and his lessons were just as good as they had been when he had taught them in year three. Their first lesson back, they had begun to study dementors, and Harry could take a guess as to why. It would seem that part of Voldemorts plan was to recruit the dementors into his own army, a frightening prospect. This meant that the children should practice defences against them as early as possible, should Voldemort one day decide to storm Hogwarts. Harry, having done a patronus back in year three, found the work very easy, and spent most the lesson fighting Ron under the table with Fred and Georges fake wands. He felt that Professor Lupin knew what they were doing, but being a member of the mischief-making group the marauders, he had decided to let it slip, much to Harry and Ron's delight. Add to that Snape's absence, and Harry's appointment as quidditch captain and he felt that things were going pretty well at Hogwarts, if you forgot about Cho's hurtful looks when she passed him in the corridors, or Ron's refusal to accept Draco as a friend.  
  
Harry was up early on Saturday, to survey the pitch conditions and get things ready for tryouts, as he was now the captain. He knew his father would have been proud of him, as he too had been captain back when he was at school. Harry got on his firebolt and managed one quick fly round the field before the others came, and he dived into land, feeling exhilarated, the rushing air still causing goose bumps on his skin. The rest of the team arrived first. Alicia Spinnet had a list of everyone who wanted to try out, and to Harry's dismay, the list was about two parchments long. They were going to be there for a very long time.  
  
He could see Parvati, Lavender, Padma and a gang of girls climbing into the stands, waving down at him. Harry ran a hand through his untidy hair, they still hadn't lost interest in him, he couldn't understand why. And then the potential keepers started to stream through the entrance to the stadium, there were, Harry noted desperately, about a hundred people there. He could make out Ron's red hair, and remembered his incident over the summer. Ron had been training really hard, according to Ginny. He made his way over to him, and found Ron looking fairly nervous. He saw Ginny standing behind him, beginning to flush furiously as Harry drew nearer.  
  
'Hey Ron' he said cheerfully, waving to his friend. Ron looked like he wanted to run to the nearest toilet and be sick. Harry stepped forward and put his hand on Ron's shoulder.  
  
'Don't worry mate, you've been training really hard, you've got nothing to worry about.' He said, trying to sound encouraging.  
  
'But Harry' Ron finally squeaked out. 'There are all these people, how can I be better than all these people?'  
  
'Don't think about those people Ron, just do it like you been practising this summer, you'll be fine.' He said reassuringly. Ron managed a weak smile, but still looked like he wanted to sprint to that bathroom. Harry looked behind Ron and spoke to Ginny.  
  
'Hey Gin, are you trying out too?' he asked. Ginny blushed even more, but made herself answer.  
  
'Actually yeah, I played a lot with Ron over the summer, so I thought I'd give it go.' She said, managing to sound a lot more confident than she actually felt.  
  
'That's great' Harry replied. 'Got to get back to the team, good luck' And with that, he flashed a smile that made the girls in the stand flutter their hands in front of their faces and swoon.  
  
Harry ignored this and found his way back to the team. They too looked slightly worried about the amount of people that were here to try out. Harry tried to look commanding, and gave out his instructions.  
  
'Right then, here's what we're going to do. Angelina, Alicia and Katie are going to try and get the quaffle past each keeper three times. Fred, George and myself will be in the stands watching. Once everyone is done, we'll decide between us who stays behind, and we'll give them a harder trial, before we make our final decision. Remember everyone, we want the best keeper on our team, to keep that quidditch cup in Gryffindor hands!' With that the team cheered, and disbanded to take up their places round the pitch. Harry walked over to the masses of hopefuls, and pointed his wand to his throat, saying 'sonorus'.  
  
'Right then everyone!' he shouted, his voice booming across the quidditch pitch. 'Welcome to tryouts for the Gryffindor quidditch team keeper! In case you don't know, I am the new captain of the team.' This statement was met with squeals of delight from the stands above. He sighed and continued. 'Okay then, can we form an orderly line, don't worry, you'll all get a go, and once everyone is done, we'll ask some of you to stay behind for another tryout. Good luck everyone!' And with that, he finished the charm on his throat and made his way to the stands, where Fred and George were waiting, grinning.  
  
'So Harry' said Fred, as Harry sat on the bench. 'You sure you're going to be able to concentrate, what with your fan club up there?' The three boys turned round to find the group of girls waving and giggling at Harry. He groaned and put his head in his hands.  
  
'Ah what it is to be famous' sighed George, whilst Fred patted Harry on the back consolingly. Meanwhile, up in the air, the chasers were calling the first person up, a small and fairly timid first year.  
  
'And so it begins' muttered Fred.  
  
It was a very long morning. Nobody seemed to be able to block all three quaffles. They had only been going for fifty people, and Harry felt like throwing himself from the stands, just to get out of watching any more. He groaned as one-third year girl caught the quaffle then fell backwards through the goal hoop. He turned to Fred and George.  
  
'This cannot get any worse.' Both twins nodded furiously in agreement.  
  
'Cheer up Harry, once we're done here, we can always try auditioning the animals'  
  
Then it was the turn of Ron, and Harry began to pay attention again. He flew upwards, looking grim, but very determined. Harry crossed his fingers as the chasers began to move towards Ron, and then cheered as he caught the quaffle in his hands.  
  
'One down,' he muttered, 'two to go'  
  
And Ron caught the quaffle again, looping the loop on his broom as he did so. He had been practising over the summer. Then it came to the final quaffle, and when Ron batted it away with the tail of his broomstick, Harry punched his fist in the air in delight. Ron flew back down, looking triumphant.  
  
'Well he's definitely the best we've seen so far' said Harry, leaning back. Fred and George were beaming with pride at their younger brother, who looked like he'd just won a million galleons.  
  
Then it was the turn of Ginny, and Harry found his jaw dropping in amazement as he watched her catch all three quaffles with complete ease. She flew like she had been born on a broomstick. Harry wheeled round to Fred and George, who looked just as amazed as he felt.  
  
'Did you know she could fly like that?' He asked, still feeling rather shell shocked as Ginny landed on the ground, looking slightly embarrassed. Fred and George both shook their heads slowly, looking bewildered.  
  
'No, she had a lot of practise with Ron over the summer, but we never knew she had become that good' said Fred.  
  
This made Harry think of something else, Ron. How was he going to explain to Ron that his younger sister had denied him a spot on the quidditch team? He turned again to Fred and George.  
  
'Let's see how they both fare in the next round of tryouts.' And with that they went back to watching Hogwarts Greatest Quidditch disasters, better known as the quidditch tryouts.  
  
By the time it was over, there were only about five people who had caught or beaten away all three quaffles, which made it fairly easy to decide who stayed behind. Harry again addressed the crowd.  
  
'Thank you all for giving up your time to try out this morning, you all did very well' This was interrupted with snorts of laughter from Fred and George. Harry cleared his throat and continued. 'As you all know, only a few can stay behind, so we'd like to see Dean Thomas, Denis Creevey, Lee Jordan, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley, thank you all'. With that the rest of the Gryffindors made their way back up to the castle. And the five left stood around nervously. Fred and George made the thumbs up sign to Lee, who was their best friend. Harry approached them.  
  
'Okay, here's what we're going to do now, you all have five minutes up in the air to block as many quaffles as you can. It doesn't really matter if you miss one; it's style and technique that we'll be looking at. If you go back up to the castle when you're done, we'll tell you who made it tomorrow morning. So let's get on with it, Lee, you can go first, then you Ron, then Dean, then Dennis, then Ginny, all right?'  
  
So they lined up again, Lee getting on his broom, and Harry started the clock. Lee was pretty good (a fact which the twins pointed out very loudly), he managed to block most the quaffles that came his way, though Harry felt he may have a problem with speed, which was important when playing real matches.  
  
Then it was Ron's turn. He blocked every quaffle, to the cheers of Harry, and Hermione, who had appeared at Harry's side.  
  
'I know I know' she said, throwing a pile of books onto the bench and throwing herself down next to Harry. 'I'm so sorry I've missed it, but I'm here now. Good, Ron's doing well I see. Harry, what is going on with Malfoy?'  
  
She said all this very fast, and Harry had to take a moment to register it before he could answer. ' Look Hermione, it's not like I intended to become friends with Draco, but we were both in the same situation, he has a fairly pretty good idea of what I'm going through, and then I got to know him, and I think if you got to know him too, you'd end up friends with him too, just give it a try Hermione.'  
  
'All right Harry, I shall try getting on with Mal..Draco in the future, but what is all this about you being in the same situation as him. What is going on, because I didn't believe that excuse you gave me in the summer.' Hermione said gently, but sounding as though she wanted a straight answer.  
  
'Look, I really want to tell you, but I promised Dumbledore that I wouldn't.' He said, making the regret in his voice obvious.  
  
'Would it have anything to do with you and him carrying the legacy of Merlin?' Hermione asked casually, but quietly so that Fred and George wouldn't hear. Harry looked stunned.  
  
'I do go to the library for a reason you know Harry, not for fun as Ron would have you believe.'  
  
'Hermione, I don't know how you know, but please promise that you won't tell Ron, nobody is supposed to know.' Harry pleaded.  
  
'All right, but we are going to have to talk about this later, bring Draco too, there are a couple of things you need to know.' At this Fred and George had started to listen in, so Hermione fell silent, clapping as Ron finished his five minutes.  
  
Dean and Dennis were all right, but like Ron unfortunately, they lacked to style, the ability to improvise, that was needed in match situations. Then it was Ginny's go, and for five minutes Harry, Hermione, Fred and George sat spellbound as she wowed the pants off the Gryffindor chasers, looking as though flying for her was the most natural thing in the world. As she came to land, Hermione leaned in to speak to Harry.  
  
'Harry, you have to pick Ginny as your keeper, she's amazing.' Harry looked at her, pain in his eyes.  
  
'But what about Ron?' he asked, his voice sounding small.  
  
'Go and find him after you've told Ginny, tell him he's reserve keeper, I'll wait in the common room for him, he'll probably be quite upset.' Harry gave her a grateful hug.  
  
'Thank you so much Hermione, and we'll have to meet later, to talk about that, well that thing.' And with a small smile, and a wave, Hermione disappeared, and Harry went down to Ginny on the pitch. He shook her hand and smiled.  
  
'Congratulations Gin, you are our new keeper, if that's all right with the rest of you?' he asked, looking round at his team members.  
  
'Harry, we would have beaten you to death with this quaffle if you had suggested otherwise' said Katie Bell, grinning at Ginny, who blushed furiously at the attention she was getting.  
  
'All right, welcome to the team Ginny, now being that it is about seven, we should probably get back to the school. First practise on Monday, thank you all.' And the team then moved to go back to school, Ginny stayed behind to talk to Harry.  
  
'Harry, are you sure about this, Ron isn't going to like it, if you want, I could always drop out of the team.' She said timidly. Harry put his hands on her shoulders, and looked down at her chocolately brown eyes.  
  
'Don't even think it Gin. I have to do what is best for my team, and having you as keeper is best for the team, Ron will just have to live with that.' He let her go, much to Ginny's disappointment. Together they walked back up to school, talking about quidditch, lessons, and nothing in particular. Harry spotted Ron waiting for him in the entrance hall, and bid Ginny goodnight.  
  
'Hey Ron,' he said, smiling nervously at his friend. Ron was looking hopeful.  
  
'So, how did I do?' he asked, steeling himself for the news.  
  
'You did good, you made reserve keeper'  
  
'Oh,' was all Ron said for a moment, and then he asked another question. 'Who is the proper keeper?' His voice was small, and strained.  
  
'I'm sorry Ron, it's Ginny.' Harry waited for what seemed like eternity, before Ron spoke again, with a very odd tone to his voice.  
  
'Right, so you're captain, Ginny's keeper, and I'm reserve. Goodnight Harry.' And without another word, Ron disappeared up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. And Harry made his way back to his room, feeling as if someone had dropped the weight of the world on his shoulders. He entered the room, and spoke instantly to Draco.  
  
'I'm quidditch captain, Ginny is the new keeper, and Ron is reserve, he's not happy.' And after having phrased his problem so elegantly, he plopped down on his bed.  
  
'Ron will get over it,' said Draco, 'the hardest part is going to be playing with Ginny when you like her'.  
  
'What!' sputtered Harry 'that's ridiculous, how could you even think that? I don't know what you're talking about!'  
  
'Actually, I wasn't being serious, but hey, it got your mind off Ron didn't it?' Draco replied.  
  
Harry groaned as the two boys settled down to a plate of ham and turkey sandwiches.  
  
Surprisingly, Draco was right, things between Ron and Harry did improve, due to Harry thought, Hermione's calming Ron down. After a week things had almost gotten back to the way they were. Quidditch practises were going well, Ginny was really getting on with the team, and she herself really looked like she was enjoying being on the team.  
  
But then something happened, ten days after the tryouts. Harry and Ron were mucking about in divination, when a note came, saying that Dumbledore needed to see both him and Ron in his office immediately. The two boys spent a good amount of time trying to work out what it was they had actually down, finally reaching the office about ten minutes later than they normally would have done. Dumbledore was waiting for them outside, looking worryingly sombre. He led the two boys up to the office. And sat them down.  
  
'I'm afraid I have some awful news for you both, Ron, the rest of your family are currently being informed as well.' Said Dumbledore.  
  
'What is it?' asked Ron, looking very frightened.  
  
'I'm afraid that Mr. Malfoy becoming Minister for Magic has had awful consequences for us all. He allowed Voldemort to attack the Ministry, and I'm so sorry Ron, but your father was killed.' He allowed Ron time to accept this statement, he had gone white to the roots of his hair, and tears were beginning to prick at the back of his eyes.  
  
'What does this have to do with Harry?' he managed to choke out.  
  
'We um, we found this by his body' Dumbledore said gently, looking terrible. He himself had been very close to Arthur Weasley, and no matter how many times it had happened before, the hurt of losing a friend to Voldemort hurt just as much as ever. He handed the piece of paper in his hand to the two boys, who scanned it quickly, shock and horror registering on both their faces.  
  
HOW MANY MORE ARE TO SUFFER POTTER, BEFORE YOU FINALLY TAKE SOME ACTION?  
  
Ron took one look at the paper, and bolted from the room, Harry ran after him.  
  
'Ron! Please wait!' He called, catching up to him. Ron turned around, and what Harry saw in his eyes made him stop in his tracks.  
  
'No Harry, that's it. My father is dead, the rest of my family is in ruins, and it is down to knowing you. If not being friends with you will protect me and my family from further harm, then that is what I will do.'  
  
Without a backward glance, Ron turned and stormed down the hall, and Harry sank to the floor, put his head in his hands, and cried.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, no characters, no poem, I'm just a low down dirt thief, stealing the ideas of others (namely Miss Rowling, and Mr. Kipling). It's a sad life I lead. 


	5. Chapter five

Chapter 5  
  
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; -  
  
R. Kipling  
  
Sirius Black had arrived at Hogwarts about ten minutes after Dumbledore had contacted him to tell him the news. He'd apparated straight to the gates of the castle, and had sprinted all the way to the building in his haste to be at his godson's side. He was, whilst running up the stairs to Dumdbledore's office, trying to remember what the password was, cursing himself for not paying proper attention to his old headmaster. He needn't have bothered about going trying to work out the password though, for as he reached the corridor which lead to the office entrance, he found the godson in question, and his heart broke.  
  
Harry was curled up into a tiny ball, leaning against the cold stonewall. He didn't really look like he was seeing anything at the moment. There were circles of red around his eyes and streaks down his face where the tears had fallen. It was as if Harry didn't have any tears left to cry, and was now alone, just an empty shell of despair. Sirius approached him cautiously, crouching down to look directly at the fifteen-year-old boy before him. He held his arms out to him, not saying anything. Words weren't appropriate at that time.  
  
And Harry leapt into his arms, holding on as if to let go would be to die. And he cried again, letting out everything. The hurt of Ron's rejection, the fear of what Voldemort could do, the grief of losing someone who was a friend, and the guilt, the terrible guilt of knowing he was connected to Arthur Weasley's death. He let it all out as he wept into his godfathers shoulders. When the tears finally came to an end, Harry fell to sleep instantly, and Sirius carried him back to his room, staring down at the thin boy in his arms as though he were a fragile sculpture, within a whisker of being broken into a thousand pieces. He opened the door of his godson's bedroom, intending to let Harry get a long deserved sleep. Harry would not be attending his lessons that day.  
  
Draco was waiting, looking very concerned. Dumbledore had informed him of what had happened, and he'd been waiting for around an hour for Harry to arrive. He was beginning to wonder if something else had happened to Harry. Hr knew that Ron had not reacted well at all to the news of his father's deat, he knew that he had blamed it all on Harry. Draco didn't mean to be mean, didn't mean to be unsympathetic to Ron. After all, the guy's dad had just been killed. But he found himself punching his pillow in frustration, and knowing that, whilst he had maybe misjudged people in the past, he was right about Ron being a jerk.  
  
It was then that Sirius carried in the sleeping form of what was now Draco's best friend. He laid him gently on his bed, and Draco bit back a gasp of surprise when he looked at Harry's face. He looked like he had just had a thousand nightmares at once. He bit his lip as he took in the red, swollen circles around the other boys eyes, and the grimace that crossed his face.  
  
Sirius looked up into Draco's face, and spoke softly. 'I know he seems bad, but he's strong, he'll get better. I'm going up to see Dumbledore, I'll be back soon to sit with Harry, if that's all right?'  
  
'Of course Sirius,' said Draco, startled by the question. He knew that his father and Sirius had never gotten along, and that the Blacks had never really trusted the Malfoys. He had brief recollections of his father laughing over his crib, as he told his mother about Sirius going to Azkaban. And yet now Harry's godfather was treating Draco like an equal. He was impressed by the ability of the new people he had met. He was in awe of their ability to forgive, to not hold grudges. And it made Draco feel slightly apprehensive when he realised that he was supposed to follow the rules and morals of these people. Surely a person couldn't change that much. he knew that he wasn't evil, but he had no idea if he'd ever be able to forget anything, to forgive anything as easily as these people did, and that fact made the pale haired boy feel slightly alienated.  
  
Sirius gave a brief smile before turning round and heading for the door. Then he thought for a moment, and turned back.  
  
'Um Draco, what…?'  
  
'The password is fizzing whizzbees Sirius'  
  
'Right, good, of course'. And then Sirius left, feeling slightly sheepish.  
  
Draco looked again at Harry's sleeping form; he looked so lonely; there was just no other word for it. He sat down by the bed just as Harry began to stir. He blinked several times as Draco came into view. Harry tried to sit up, but Draco held him down. He needed to rest.  
  
'Draco, I'm afraid Mr. Weasley's dead. Ron, Ron blames me, it's all my fault. All my fault', and again Harry put his head in his hands, trying to shut out the world, and all the harm he could cause to the people in it. He handed Draco a crumpled piece of paper, the one that he had received in Dumbledore's office. Draco read the writing, and then spoke to Harry.  
  
'What could you have done to stop it Harry? How could you have known that he would attack the Ministry' He tried to sound reasonable, to convince Harry, when really he knew that it would do no good. He himself had been in a similar position, and it didn't matter what happened or what people told him, he would always blame himself for the deaths of the Diggles. He would always see their faces, just before they died. Then Harry jolted him out of his thoughts by replying.  
  
'I know that there was nothing I could do, but I am still the reason why he was killed, and it's going to happen again. Who knows who he's going to hurt next? Hermione? Ginny? Sirius? Hagrid? Maybe even you? Ron was right, it's best to just stay clear of me, if you stay my friend, you're just going to get hurt, or killed.' This made Draco ask something  
  
'Ron blamed you for what happened, didn't he?' Harry nodded, looking wretched.  
  
'He said that it's the end of our friendship, that he will avoid contact with me to protect his family' This provoked a strong response from Draco.  
  
'That is bullshit Harry! If he weren't such a coward, he would know that distancing himself from you is not going to protect his family, cause they won't be so stupid. I bet that not one other member of the Weasley's blames you for what happened, I bet that not one of them stops being your friend, just because of who you are. If Ron doesn't see that, he's a git. This is a war we are in, and people are going to die, and it is nobody's fault, other than Voldemort, and those who are to cowardly to stand up and fight him'.  
  
'Nice speech' said Harry, smiling weakly. 'But even if the Weasley's don't blame me, I will never stop blaming myself. And the only way I can see to stop me blaming myself again, is to distance myself from everyone else'.  
  
'Get over yourself Harry!' Draco shouted, making Harry flinch in shock. 'People around you are trying desperately to protect you, there are people queuing up to sacrifice themselves for you, and yes people will die because of that. But there is reason for it Harry, it's because of who you are, of what you are destined to be, of what I am destined to be too. That is why I will never abandon you, and neither will anyone else who can see who you are. So stop pushing people away and be grateful for the fact that they are there for you. And to those who aren't, do this' And at that Draco made a fairly rude gesture which managed to crack a proper smile out of Harry.  
  
'I didn't know you were that good at making speeches' he said.  
  
'Well I'm not one to blow my own trumpet' said Draco, trying to look modest. Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
'What?'  
  
  
  
Harry stayed off lessons all day, as did Draco. They did nothing in particular, played exploding snap, wizard chess, anything to take their minds off the events of the day. Sirius returned in the afternoon, and was immensely relieved to see that Harry had made an improvement on his earlier state. He said he had to get back to his previous business, careful to give the two boys no idea of what the business was. He gave Harry a brief hug, inwardly wondering if he had fully recovered from the shock of that morning.  
  
Harry got to sleep very early that night, finding that crying really did take a lot of energy out of him. He hated to collapse like that in front of people, didn't want them thinking he was weak and vulnerable. But in all the guilt, he had also felt a lot of sadness for the loss of Mr. Weasley. He remembered his fascination with all things Muggle, his enchanting the flying car. Knowing that the Weasley children could no longer talk about 'their dad in the ministry' was a thought that tore at Harry's heart. He still had yet to face the other Weasley's. He hoped beyond hope that they would do as Draco had said they would, but he knew they would be well within their rights to blame him, just as Ron did.  
  
And once Harry had fallen into a fitful sleep, he began to dream. He was walking in the forbidden forest, just as he had done when he and Malfoy had been sent off for detention in their first year. He came to the clearing where they had found that dead unicorn, and had seen Voldemort drinking its blood. But Harry was all alone this time; there was no Draco, no Fang. And there was no unicorn lying on the ground, but there was something else, Harry couldn't tell what. He came closer, edging towards the object lying in the clearing. He bent down to turn it over. It was large, a stone of some kind, but when he turned it over, it changed, and Mr. Weasley's face stared up at him, his eyes glassy and still, mouth slightly open in surprise. And Harry recoiled, backing away from the body. He stumbled over a tree root, falling onto the forest floor. He looked upwards, and saw Voldemort standing in front of him, grinning evilly. He came close and closer, reaching out his bony white hand, shining in the moonlight. He reached forward, and touched Harry's forehead, just as he had done the night that Cedric had died. And Harry's head exploded in pain, but he couldn't scream, could only writhe in agony, as waves and waves of stabbing pain washed over him. And then Voldemort stepped back, and Harry collapsed in a heap on the floor, looking up into those murderous red eyes.  
  
'Good evening Potter, did you get my note?' he asked, as though he were merely wishing Harry good day. Harry stared at him, hatred mounting in him.  
  
'Remember Potter, this will happen again, I will invade your dreams, I will cause you pain beyond belief, I will kill your friends, and I will make you suffer for the thirteen years of pain you caused me. Then, and only then, will I kill you. Sweet dreams Potter' and with that, he vanished, and Harry woke, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.  
  
He looked around his room. The lights were still off, Draco looked like he was still asleep, and so Harry presumed that he hadn't been able to scream in real life either. He rubbed his aching forehead gingerly. It would never stop; he was never ever going to have a normal life. He wanted to go tell Dumbledore about his dream. He remembered Sirius telling him in his fourth year to go to Dumbledore if anything like that happened. But what could Dumbledore do?  
  
There was something that held Harry back; maybe it was a desire to prove himself on his own against Voldemort, maybe it was something else. He was supposed to conquer him, according to the prophecy, surely he could face him in his head then. Harry, having decided to keep his dream to himself, turned over, and fell into what was a far more peaceful sleep.  
  
There was quidditch practise the next morning. Harry, having eaten breakfast in his room, not wanting to face Ron in the hall, made his way down to the quidditch pitch with a sense of growing dread. He caught sight of three red heads waiting for him, and swallowed nervously. He wondered why the family had decided to remain at Hogwarts, carrying on life as normal, but then he realised that that was what he would have done, try to forget everything. He also found that, as he got closer to the quidditch pitch, the remaining Weasley's were all present in the stands, except for Ron. They all looked up as they spied Harry walking towards them, broomstick in hand. Harry tried to judge their feelings by looking at their faces, he was king of glad to have the firebolt with him, and it would mean he could escape if the worst came to the worst. On close inspection, the Weasley's looked immensely tired, as if they had let out all their emotions the previous day, and were now completely drained. Harry approached them cautiously.  
  
'Hello everyone' he said softly.  
  
Molly Weasley then left her place in the stands and came galloping down, throwing her arms around Harry, holding him to her tightly. 'Oh Harry' she whispered, 'it wasn't your fault'. These were the words that Harry had been hoping for; he felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. Mrs. Weasley released him, and he looked around at he faces of the other Weasleys and on each he was relieved to find forgiveness and understanding.  
  
'But, that letter, didn't you hear about the letter?' He asked, bewildered that they didn't feel the same as Ron did.  
  
'What about it Harry?' said Bill, rising from his spot on the bench. 'There was absolutely nothing you could have done, Voldemort only wrote that letter to torment us all, we cannot let him do that.'  
  
Harry thought back to his dream, and silently agreed with Bill, every murder that could be connected to Harry, was a chance for Voldemort to torture him, he wasn't going to let him do it.  
  
Mrs. Weasley spoke again. 'We just came down to let you know that we understand, and we don't blame you for Arthur's death. We also want you to come to the funeral with us. I know that Arthur considered you to be one of the family, so please do come, to…to say goodbye'. At these words Mrs. Weasley began to cry, and removed a giant handkerchief from her coat pocket, blowing into it with great force. Bill and Charlie came forward and put their arms round there mother, helping her back up to the castle after waving goodbye to Harry, Fred, George and Ginny. Percy followed behind them. Leaving the four Hogwarts students alone on the pitch.  
  
'Look Harry' said Fred 'Me and George, we've spoken to Ron, and we're sorry, but he just doesn't seem to see reason at the moment' he looked down at his toes, the usual mischievous grin gone from his pale face.  
  
Harry held up a hand to stop him saying anymore. 'It's all right Fred, I know that it's going to take Ron a long time to come to terms with all of this.' He left it at that, staring at the ground as if his life depended on it. Ginny put a hand on his arm, forgetting to blush at the contact with Harry. She forgot about everything else of than the terrible grief at losing her father, and seeing Harry being blamed for it by his best friend, and her brother. She spoke fiercely, with a passion that shocked her.  
  
'It doesn't matter what Ron says, the rest of us, we won't stop being your friends Harry, don't worry about that. Nobody else blames you at all for what happened.' Harry looked up, right into Ginny's eyes, overwhelmed by an extraordinary sense of gratitude. He bent down and gently kissed her on the cheek, not knowing just how much his touch meant to the small, red headed girl in front of him.  
  
'Thank you Gin' Harry then turned to all three of them. 'Thank you all, your understanding means so much to me.' The three Weasley's nodded, glad to have something to take their minds off the horrible, empty loss that was gripping them at that moment.  
  
They were interrupted from any further conversation by the arrival of the quidditch team, all-looking much more sombre than usual. News of Arthur Weasley's death had spread through the school like wildfire. Students were caught up in feeling sorry for the Weasley's, and speculating about the note that had been found on Mr. Weasley's body. Unbeknownst to Harry, who had only just come out the castle, an article had appeared in the Daily Prophet that morning, which the school had devoured hungrily.  
  
MINISTRY ATTACKED, ARTHUR WEASLEY DEAD, IS THIS THE RETURN OF YOU-KNOW-WHO?  
  
Lucius Malfoy, Minister for Magic, was today unavailable for questioning over the attack on the Ministry of Magic, which occurred the day before. Arthur Weasley, a worker in the misuse of Muggle artefacts office was killed in the attack, though no other casualties were reported. The attackers bore startling resemblance to Death Eaters, which begs the question, is the return of You-Know-Who? There was speculation at the end of the last Hogwarts term, concerning the return of the dark wizard, but this attack is the first concrete evidence to suggest that this statement is true. The Minister, who turned a blind eye to previous speculation, must surely now investigate these claims more thoroughly.  
  
Mourning the loss of Mr. Weasley, along with his family, is a certain boy named Harry Potter, who was particularly close with several family members. And in a strange twist, one inside informant has told us that a message was left for Potter by the body of his friends father, prompting the question, what will the Boy-Who-Lived do about it?  
  
At that moment, the Boy-Who-Lived was in fact trying to conduct a quidditch practise, though not with much success. After Angelina had dropped the quaffle on the head Parvati Patil, who had assembled with Harry's new fan club on the surface of the pitch, (clearly aiming to comfort him about the loss of his friends father), Harry decided that practice was going nowhere. He called the team down telling them to hit the showers, and come back in a few days, after getting over the shock of the attack. This was met with grateful nods from the other six players. Ron hadn't shown up, even though he was reserve keeper.  
  
After he got out the shower, and had gotten rid of the over excited girls standing by the entrance to the changing rooms, he found Hermione and Draco waiting by the entrance to the pitch. Both looked a bit uncomfortable in the others presence.  
  
Hermione took one look at Harry before throwing herself into his arms; Harry almost fell over as Hermione jumped on him.  
  
'Oh Harry, I'm so sorry!' she said, letting him go. 'I tried to talk to Ron about it, but I can't, well we, oh never mind.' She said, looking rather flustered.  
  
'Hermione?' asked Harry, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. She responded by shaking her head and mouthing the words 'not now'. Draco was beginning to look a bit left out, shuffling his feet at the side of them.  
  
'Anyway' said Hermione, gaining composure, 'I met Draco in the entrance hall, and told him that we need to have that talk, remember Harry?' Harry thought hard, racking his brains and finally remembering their conversation at the quidditch tryouts.  
  
'Oh yeah, why don't you come back with us to our new room then Hermione. Nothing sordid, promise!' said Harry, grinning for the first time since he had gone to Dumbledore's office at his friends outraged expression. Draco motioned for them to leaved, as the Gryffindor team were glaring at him with open hostility.  
  
The three of them began to walk out of the stadium, when Harry saw Ginny standing by the changing room, staring at them with a wistful expression on her face. He remembered her telling him that she would never stop being his friend, and his promise to explain all that had happened in the summer. He then told Hermione and Draco to wait, and sprinted back across the pitch towards her, stopping in front of her to catch his breath slightly.  
  
'Hey Harry' said Ginny, looking a bit bemused, and a tad hopeful.  
  
Harry still hadn't got his breath entirely back, so he grabbed her arm and started pulling her off with him, not entirely to Ginny's disapproval.  
  
'Harry, where are we going?' she asked, quite worriedly. She saw Draco and Hermione standing at the pitch entrance, both looking quite amazed at Harry's display. He turned to her, a tiny little sparkle in his bright green eyes.  
  
'Gin, remember that letter I sent you, when I told you that later that I'd tell you about what happened over the summer?'  
  
'Yes' she said, somewhat uncertainly. Harry stopped when they reached Hermione and Draco, and by now she could definitely see the spark that burned in his eyes.  
  
'Well, you're about to find out.'  
  
  
  
Hermione watched Harry and Ginny approaching, wondering what Ron would say if he were here. He wouldn't be pleased, she was sure of that. Ron had been outraged when the rest of his family had been so understanding of Harry's involvement in Mr. Weasley's death. Hermione had tried to reason with him, and Ron had not reacted well, it had resulted in one of their worst fights ever. And in the heat of the moment, Ron had lost his temper, and pushed his girlfriend over. Hermione had fallen into a wizard chess set, scattering pieces everywhere. A bishop had hit her in the face, cutting the skin above her eye. Ron had rushed to help her, apologizing profusely, and Hermione had said she was all right. But inside, she knew she would have to get out of the relationship soon. Ron was sweet, and funny, and he was a good friend. But lately things had changed between them. The fights now outweighed the good times, and the fights were horrible. She had the most awful feeling that Ron was with her to prove a point or something, which made her feel like crying until there was nothing left in her. That was what their relationship was doing to her at the moment, it was draining her of all her emotions and feelings, and it was scaring her. If Ron knew she was down here with Draco Malfoy, watching Harry and his sister behaving like best friends, there would be another huge fight coming. She painted a smile onto her face as Harry and Ginny caught up with them, and they started walking up to the castle. Oh well, Hermione thought, what Ron doesn't know won't hurt him.  
  
  
  
'I'm sorry, but what the hell?' was Ginny's response to what Draco and Harry had just told her. Harry bit back a laugh, looking at her bewildered face. Hermione stood up to explain, pacing around Harry and Draco's room. Harry was perched on the end of his bed; Ginny and Draco had taken the two cosy armchairs in the room. After marvelling at the boys living quarters, Harry had proceeded to tell everyone just what had happened up until September the first. He left out the part about Draco's story, as that was up to Draco to tell.  
  
'What Harry is trying, very unsuccessfully to say, is that he and Draco both have extraordinary power, which they inherited from Merlin and Slytherin. There is also an ancient prophecy that say Harry is destined to kill Voldemort, am I right Harry?' Hermione finished, as Harry nodded, looking disgruntled at her remark concerning his explanation. Draco snorted, and Hermione raised her eyebrows at him before continuing.  
  
'Harry and Draco are brothers. Not in the conventional term, but in the way that they were created of the same essence, the same magical core. It links them in ways we have yet to discover.' Both boys looked stunned at this news, clearly Dumbledore had not informed them of this.  
  
'Well that explains a lot!' Ginny remarked, remembering their sudden friendship that had sprung up over the summer.  
  
'Right,' said Harry, glaring jokingly at Ginny, 'Hermione, do you have any idea as to when this prophecy is supposed to take place? Dumbledore didn't mention that either.'  
  
'No clue, that is going to take a lot more research. Ginny, do you think you can help me in that department?'  
  
'Sure' she replied, eager to do whatever she could to help. Draco then stood, narrowing his eyes and looking a bit indignant.  
  
'Hang on, this is mine and Harry's destiny, why can't we look it up?' He asked, sounding slightly childish, as though he were complaining about another kid playing with his new toy.  
  
'Because we have to keep busy training for our destiny you prat' said Harry, grinning as Draco aimed a pillow at his head. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes.  
  
'Right then, if we meet back here in a week, and Ginny and me will tell you what we've found out. Let's go to lunch.' Hermione said, gathering up her things and getting up to leave, but Draco stopped her.  
  
'Actually, Hermione' said Draco, using her first name for the first time. 'I was wondering if I could have a word with you, erm, alone.'  
  
Hermione looked like he'd asked her to jump casually off a cliff. Harry and Ginny covered their mouths to try and hide their laughter.  
  
'Um, yeah, sure' she mumbled, throwing death looks at the other two as they left the room giggling. She turned back to Draco, who was leaning towards the fire, his pale hair glistening in the shards of light that scattered across the room.  
  
'Look Draco' she started, 'I know what you're going to say, and I know that we've never gotten along before, but I think we need to forget the past and move on..' Draco interrupted her.  
  
'Hermione, I didn't want to talk to you about that. I don't hold grudges' there was something in his voice that made Hermione look curiously into his face. He sounded as though he were trying to convince himself that this was true, that he didn't hold grudges. She wondered why.  
  
Draco cleared his throat. 'Actually, I wanted to see what you knew about dream spells'  
  
Whatever Hermione had been expecting, it wasn't this. 'Oh right, well, there are certain spells which can be used, that allow the caster to travel in and out of peoples dreams, it's a nasty sort of spell, it's usually used by dark wizards. Why do you ask?'  
  
'Well,' Draco said, staring intently at her, making her feel slightly self-conscious as she looked back into his pointed face and cool eyes. 'Last night, I had the oddest dream. I was somewhere, or nowhere, because it was just a big black space, there was nothing in it. And then I saw Harry on the floor, and he was screaming, screaming like he was in so much pain, it was unbearable. And when I woke up, I went over to his bed, and he was drenched in sweat, with his hand on his forehead. I asked him if he'd had any bad dreams last night, and he denied it, but I could tell he was lying. What do you think of that?'  
  
'I would say that we need to start doing some research' said Hermione, heading for the door. 'It's my philosophy in life, when in doubt, head for the library.' Draco followed, smiling slightly. Hermione could feel tiny patches of red pricking her cheeks, so she went back to talking, bewildered at her own behaviour.  
  
'The fact that you could see a bit of Harry's dream is probably due to the connection between you two. Harry couldn't scream in his dream, otherwise you would have heard it, so his screams were transferred to your dream, if you get what I'm saying.' Draco nodded, so she continued. 'This means that someone is getting into Harry's dreams, either to torment him or attack him,' Draco opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione got their first.  
  
'If you say Voldemort Draco, I shall smack you round the head with my arithmancy book, I cannot bear it when people state the obvious!' Hermione threatened, waving a heavy book in his direction. Instead Draco raised his hand in a military salute, shouting 'Yes ma'am!'.  
  
They made their way to the library, Draco having been smacked with 'Advanced Transfiguration- Volumes two through to five'.  
  
The funeral was the next day. Those who were attending had taken a portkey a field near Ottery St. Catchpole. The service was to be held in muggle style, in the village church. Being that most the Hogwarts staff were attending, school was called off for the day. Nobody made any audible cheers when the news was announced, but Harry was disgusted to see that several Slytherins had looks of glee on their faces.  
  
The church was full to the brim, most of those attending were dressed in dark suits, though by the looks on their faces, Harry could see that they weren't accustomed to this form of clothing. He made his way awkwardly along the aisle, looking for a spare seat, when several hands waved him in their direction. He saw the Weasley family sitting at the front of the church, each looking like they were fighting for composure. Harry reached their row and made to sit down, he saw that Ron was at the end, sitting next to Hermione, and holding her hand rather possessively. He thought that now might be a good time to show his old friend that he was still there for him, to go some way to mending the breach between them. But as he made to sit down, Ron stood up abruptly, grabbed Hermione's hand, and moved to the other end of the row. Harry stood frozen for a moment, feeling stung. Then Fred, who was now at the end of the row, motioned for him to sit down, and Harry collapsed next to him. George leaned across.  
  
'Now matter what Ron thinks, you are part of this family. Give him time Harry.' And Harry nodded mutely, as the service started.  
  
Looking back, Harry didn't have many particular memories of the funeral. The coffin was the most striking sight. He felt so funny as it was brought down the aisle, looking at that wooden box, and realising that in it, lay Mr. Weasley, who was never going to get out of it. And the grief washed over him in waves. He looked down the row, in awe of the Weasleys, and their bravery. He saw their tear streaked faces, and he knew that he would have to anything he could to help them, the family that had treated him as one of their own.  
  
The only other memory Harry had of the funeral, was a speech made by Bill Weasley. He, being the eldest Weasley son, felt it his duty to deliver the eulogy to their father. He made his way to the podium like a man going to an execution, yet determined to meet it in the most dignified way possible.  
  
He coughed once, and then the church, and the world, stopped to hear him speak.  
  
'I stand before you today, to pay homage to a man of many faces, of many different sides. A man who, in his own small way, touched the lives of so many here today. Firstly, he was a man of his work. He moved through his working life with a compassion for others, and an eagerness and devotion to help others that could be rivalled by few. He was a man of character. I'm sure you will all remember him for his obsession with all things muggle, his hobby of fixing up cars, and his collection of plugs.' People in the congregation laughed briefly, as if seeing the picture of Mr. Weasley in their heads, and all the things he did to make them laugh. Bill gave a small smile, then spoke again.  
  
'He was a man of principle, always striving for good, to make things better for everyone else. He was willing to give everything, just to make things easier for others, to make life more enjoyable for others. He would never turn away a request for help; you could remember him for that. And, and I will remember him, as a family man, as a father, a husband, a man that I would give everything in the world to be. I would have spent my life trying to make him proud of me, but I never needed to, because he told me just how proud he was every single day. He gave so much love to his family, and I will spend every day of my life trying not to let him down.'  
  
His voice began to crack. 'He had his failings, just like any other, but I never saw them. He was my father, he was my hero. And it hurts so much to know that I can never tell just how much his good opinion meant to me, to know that I can never tell him I love him, just one last time.' He stopped for a moment, his throat too tight to continue.  
  
'But we have to be strong, we have to group together as one, and try our very hardest to remember that we haven't lost Arthur Weasley in his death, but that we have gained by his life, and by all the things that he gave us in his time on earth. He will be watching, I know he will, and I know also that we will live on to make him proud.' He looked up at the rafters of the church, and spoke softly.  
  
'Goodbye daddy, I love you'.  
  
The coffin was placed in the earth shortly after that; Mrs. Weasley broke down completely as it was lowered into the ground, weeping with abandon. The family huddled together, and Harry felt it wise to stand to one side with Hermione, staring bleakly at the wooden box as Arthur Weasley was laid to rest. He held a flower in his hand, around which he had tied the wire of a plug. He gave a small, soft laugh as he stared down at it, and remembered Mr. Weasley just as Bill had asked him to be. He then dropped the flower onto the coffin, and left silently, not wanting to attract any attention.  
  
He apparated back to Hogwarts: not really caring whether he got into trouble with the Ministry. He landed on the lawn of the castle, in front of none other than Draco, who of course had not been invited to the funeral.  
  
'Hey' he said, unsure of what to do. Draco knew that funerals were some of the most depressing events ever, and he had no idea how Harry was feeling about it. He settled for asking him, 'Are you all right?'  
  
'Not really' Harry answered immediately, and then he repeated what he had said earlier that year, after Fudge had died. 'Too many people are dying'.  
  
To this, Draco had nothing to say, he could only glance around in desperation, and then feel useless when he came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could do. Harry saw the panic on his friends face, and spoke again.  
  
'I'm not all right, but I will be.' He said, and then allowed Draco to lead him back up to the castle, as the sun set on a tragic day at Hogwarts.  
  
  
  
It was two days later, but Hermione felt like she'd been in the library forever. She hadn't been this frustrated since she; Ron and Harry had been desperately searching for Nicholas Flamel in their second year. She realised with a start just how different things were now between the three of them. She knew she had been stupid to assume that they would all be friends forever, but she felt a pang somewhere inside when she remembered just how close they used to be.  
  
She heard the soft sound of footsteps behind her, and knew instantly that Darco had entered the library. The two of them had hardly spoken since they had began their research, and Hermione had to confess to herself that she was a little disappointed by this. She found herself looking more than once in his direction, watching him read intently, his silvery hair flopping over the pages. And time and time again she slapped herself mentally for thinking like that when she was Ron's girlfriend. In some respects, she was glad that her and Draco were having as little contact as possible.  
  
Today however, Hermione was going to try and start a conversation with her enemy of the past four years. She wheeled round to catch Draco before he became absorbed in his research. One thing that she had found out about him was that, much to her surprise, Draco too loved to read. Once he started, he would throw himself into a book or story with a passion that Hermione had only ever seen in herself. Ron would only jeer had her love of books, and knowing that Draco too shared her passion made her feel good, ashamed as she was to admit it. She waved to him in greeting, and Draco gave a grunt of reply before moving off to the bookshelves. She held her arm out.  
  
'Draco, wait!' she said, earning a reproving look from Madame Pince. She followed him into the shelves, loving the dark, musty feeling of things that were ancient, and contained information and knowledge that seemed incredible to her. He waited for her, looking startled, and a little pleased. He raised his eyebrows as she caught up to him, his face an icy blond mask to a hundred things within.  
  
'What?' he asked.  
  
Hermione tried to think of an excuse to start a conversation. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling inexplicably flustered.  
  
'I, um, well, I, how are you?' she said finally.  
  
'I, um, well, I'm good' he answered back, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.  
  
'I just thought that, well since we're doing all this research and everything, we should take time to get to know each other a bit, you know, well, you know.' She finished, cringing at how inarticulate she had suddenly become.  
  
Draco sat down at a nearby table, smiling openly now. He leaned back.  
  
'Sure' he said lazily, 'where do you want to begin?'  
  
  
  
'Ginny' Harry asked, as the two of them were leaving the quidditch pitch that afternoon. 'Do you have any idea what Hermione and Draco are up to?' he asked the question lightly, but behind it was a real desire to know what his two friends were up to. They had been very secretive for the past couple of days, ever since Draco had asked to speak to Hermione alone. He had absolutely no idea what they were doing, all that he was certain of was that they didn't want him finding out about it.  
  
Next to him, Ginny raised her eyebrows. 'I don't know, carrying out a sordid affair behind our backs?' she guessed, keeping the expression on her face innocent.  
  
Harry laughed, again noticing the change in Ginny. She'd gone from the blushing little girl that was his old friends sister, to being a funny, clever, and all round nice girl, who happened to be one of his closest friends. He for one was remarkably happy with the change. Ron of course was furious.  
  
Ginny shrugged her shoulders. 'I honestly don't know Harry, I asked Hermione what she was up to yesterday when we were researching for information on the prophecy, but she wouldn't say.'  
  
'Well' Harry said, a smirk crossing his face that reminded people again just how much he resembled his father, 'I for one think we should find out.'  
  
'And how are we going to do that?'  
  
'Well, we follow Hermione's philosophy. When in doubt, head for the library!'  
  
Hermione leant back in her chair, laughing at something Draco had just said.  
  
'Really?' she gasped, 'Crabbe really couldn't read that it was a girls bathroom?'  
  
Draco nodded, 'and worse, Pansy was already in there, just getting out of the shower!'  
  
Hermione started giggling all over again, imagining the look of shock on Pansy's pug nosed face. She gained control of herself, when she heard Madame Pince looking her way, and looked at her watch. She swore.  
  
'Now now Miss Granger,' said Draco, mimicking professor Snape's lazy drawl. 'Such language is most unbecoming in one such as yourself.'  
  
Hermione laughed softly. 'Yes well, it's just, look at the time, we haven't done any research today. The two of them sprang up from their chairs and hastily began pulling books off the shelves. Hermione ran her hand along the shelf, quickly scanning the titles. She found one on ancient magic and foretelling, and hastily moved to pull it out from the shelf. She hadn't reckoned on it being so heavy though, and cried out in surprise as the book came tumbling down. Draco rushed forward to help her, holding the other side of the book. The two righted themselves, and ended up a lot closer to each other than they had intended to be. Hermione gasped, as she felt herself drowning in the eyes of Draco.  
  
'Thank you,' she murmured.  
  
'You're welcome' he said softly, breathing the words out. They somehow couldn't break eye contact, and Draco seemed to be moving in closer, his face was now only inches apart.  
  
'You haven't seen Hermione Granger in here have you?' came Harry's voice from the other side of the library. Draco and Hermione sprang apart. Both of them didn't even have time to contemplate what had almost happened, they were busy hiding everything that gave Harry some sort of hint of what they were up to. Just as he and Ginny rounded the corner, they shoved the last book back onto the shelf.  
  
Harry looked inquisitively at the pair of them, Ginny smirking at his side. 'So, what have you two been up to'? Hermione desperately wanted to turn away, and hide the red that was covering her face. Ginny was, after all, Ron's sister. Oh my god, she thought, what about Ron?  
  
Draco thought quickly, keeping his face impassive. 'Nothing much, Hermione here wanted help with her charms homework.' He said, putting effort into sneering slightly on the word Hermione, and gesturing casually to the bag that contained her books, which was lying on the table. Harry and Ginny looked towards it, and Draco took that opportunity to wink at Hermione while their backs were turned.  
  
Harry still didn't believe them, but he had to accept what they said. 'All right, let's go down to dinner.' And the four of them left, none of them noticing just how much redder Hermione had become.  
  
  
  
Over the next two weeks Hermione found herself growing closer and closer to Draco Malfoy, and further apart from Ron. She had been working very hard to ensure that her researching with Draco did not become knowledge to Ron, and she dreaded to think what would happen if he found out. The two also had to keep their research secret from Harry, who would clearly be annoyed if he discovered that people were researching about him behind his back. Add to this the research that Hermione was carrying out with Ginny, and it now seemed she was spending all her free time either in the library, or trying to stop people go there.  
  
It was early evening, and Draco and Hermione were alone in the library for about the fifth time. Hermione was almost disappointed to think that their research would end soon; she really enjoyed Draco's company, sometimes more than she herself was willing to admit. She sneaked a glance at him now, his head bowed, silvery blond hair flopping over his forehead as he stared intensely at the book of warding charms in front of him. She had come to realise that he was not only funny, clever, and fiercely loyal to Harry, but he was also quite dishy too. Hermione slapped herself mentally, wondering what Ron would say if he knew that she was thinking this.  
  
As if he could sense her eyes on him, Draco looked up from his reading, and Hermione felt the colour flood her face. She swallowed, and asked him a question that she had been curious about for two weeks.  
  
'Draco, what was it that caused you to change, to make you become, erm..' she trailed off, looking around for an alternative word to 'good'. Draco leaned forward and put a hand on her arm, as if to tell her that he understood. He stared off into the distance, as if wondering how to respond to her question. When he finally spoke, it was to tell her his story, of how Voldemort had offered him the choice, and had then killed the Diggles when he had refused to join him. He finished by confessing that he, just like Harry, was responsible for the deaths of other human beings, and he would never get over it.  
  
'How can you say that?' Hermione said, her voice breaking with compassion for the boy in front of her. 'That is one of the bravest things I've ever heard anyone do.' And Draco looked shocked, utterly shocked, before he said softly, looking as though there were tears gathering behind his eyes, tears that had been suppressed for so long.  
  
'Nobody has ever called me brave before' he whispered, sounding as though he couldn't believe it. Then he leaned forward, and took Hermione's chin in his hand, and gently brought her face towards his, her soft lips coming into contact with his mouth, in the most tender kiss Hermione had ever experienced. They were interrupted by Ginny running into the library.  
  
She caught sight of them, and her eyebrows shot skywards. Hermione and Draco leapt apart as though they'd been electrocuted. Ginny was, after all, Ron's little sister. Ginny seemed to forget all about it though, as her face resumed the frantic expression that had been there before.  
  
'It's Harry, something's wrong with Harry'. She said, gesturing frantically in the general direction of the infirmary. Draco didn't even wait to hear what exactly was wrong, he was too busy sprinting from the library. He had made it to the infirmary in what must have been record time, with the two girls close behind him. He skidded to a halt in the middle of the infirmary, not even listening to Madame Pomfrey's indignant shouts. He could see a black haired figure, lying unconscious on one of the beds, and Draco made a beeline for him. He looked down to see Harry lying utterly still on the bed, as though dead. Ginny and Hermione came up behind him, panting. Hermione saw Harry and gasped.  
  
'Gin, what happened?'  
  
Ginny seemed to be trying to stop the flow of tears that were about to explode. 'We were out on the quidditch pitch, practising for the match against Hufflepuff. We were doing really good, and Harry was diving for the snitch, and he just didn't stop diving, he flew straight into the ground, he was clutching his scar. By the time we got to him, he was unconscious, and he's been like, like this ever since.' Said Ginny, finally giving way to sobbing. That was when Madame Pomfrey made her way over, and shooed the three teenagers out of the room. Draco still hadn't said anything, but after the door to the infirmary door was slammed, he swore violently, for two full minutes. Once he had emptied himself of his desire to curse. Hermione made a move to stop Ginny crying, and turned away from the infirmary, motioning for the other two to follow her.  
  
'Where are we going?' Draco asked, looking like the last thing he wanted to do was to leave the infirmary.  
  
'Back to the library' Hermione called, still walking away. 'Voldemort is in Harry's head, and we are going to get him out.' 


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six  
  
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;  
  
R. Kipling  
  
For the second time that term, Sirius had been called urgently to Hogwarts, after something had happened to Harry. As he was again sprinting up the lawn towards the castle, he began to think that if this were to become a regular occurrence, he would soon start sprouting grey hairs like Remus. Remus was in fact waiting for him in the entrance hall, pacing in front of the giant doors and wringing his hands absentmindedly. Watching him, Sirius was transported back to a time where Remus worrying and wringing his hands was a regular part of his life, it usually happened when James or he had ended up in the hospital wing for some reason or other. Harry looked so much like James. Sirius was catapulted back to the present. He noticed instantly the worry in his old friend's face.  
  
'Remus, what is it? Dumbledore didn't say anything in particular, just something about Harry, said it was urgent.' Sirius said, panic now evident in his voice. Remus was careful to answer, not wanting to risk Sirius' foul temper; he knew his friend's feelings when it came to his godson.  
  
'Follow me up to the hospital wing Sirius, Dumbledore's waiting for us there.' He said no more, just began to climb the stairs, leading the way for Sirius to follow, muttering curses behind him. Despite the situation, he almost laughed. So many times he had ended up the voice of reason, trying to talk Sirius out of doing something stupid, well, more stupid than usual. James had never been of any help, he'd just sat on the sidelines and laughed, and then there was Peter. Remus shook his head, he would never ever think of Peter in the same light again. He tried not to think of Peter at all, of the terrible way in which he had changed the fates of all the marauders. How Remus wished he could meet up with Peter when he was in his werewolf form. He carried on making his way silently to the infirmary. He had seen Harry's state previously, and really had no answer for it. By all appearances, the boy looked as though he were asleep and having a nightmare, and nobody could wake him up. The most disturbing part of the whole situation was the look on Harry's face, pain beyond belief.  
  
The two friends reached the hospital wing five minutes later, greeted by a flustered looking Madame Pomfrey, who ushered them in, whilst throwing a look of great dislike in the direction of Sirius. They entered the large stone room, and saw Dumbledore standing over a bed, on which lay what looked a dead body to Sirius, it was so still. He came closer to the bed, and bit back a cry as he saw a familiar flash of black hair. He knelt at his godson's bedside, feeling utter desperation as he stared at Harry's agonized expression. For the first time ever he felt no hope as he looked into the face of Dumbledore, the man on which the entire wizarding world would again rely upon to win out against the darkness. For the twinkle in his old headmasters eyes was gone, replaced by a bleak grey that seemed to age him centuries. When he spoke, it was with a flat, tired tone.  
  
'He is better now than he was, before he was thrashing about all over the place, and now, well you can see for yourself.' The old wizard said, casting his eyes downwards.  
  
'Albus,' Remus said, an almost pleading tone creeping into his voice. 'Surely you must have some idea of what has happened. It was all so sudden, how could anything have touched Harry whilst he was on Hogwarts grounds? Surely scar pains cannot be this bad?'  
  
'I feel' said Dumbledore, still sounding so weary, 'that somebody must have found a way to torture Harry inside his head. He clearly is in agony, and yet he cannot scream. And alas, I have no real idea of how to stop it.' He spoke the last sentence to himself, and you would have had to listen very closely to catch the note of despair in his voice.  
  
And then Sirius collapsed onto the bed, and a single tear found its way from the corner of his eye, trickling down the side of his face as he held the hand of his godson and tried to imagine a way in which he could relieve his pain.  
  
  
  
Harry, at that, moment, was far from anyone's reach. He was back in the dark place, he had been there for a long time. Hours? Days? He had lost all sense of time. He remembered flying downward on the quidditch pitch, the snitch in his sight. And then his scar had exploded on his forehead, firing him into that blackness again. He had awoken to the sound of screaming, and someone was chasing him. He had gotten to his feet, and had started running, flinging his arms out wildly to remove any obstacles that stood in his way. He could hear things whispering to him, screaming out the names of those who had died thanks to him. Cedric, Mr. Weasley, his parents, and names of people who Harry had never even known. Time and time again he would stop to answer the cries of a person lying on the floor screaming. And then he would turn reach them, only to find their faces dead and decayed, and a cold high voicing laughing at him, forcing him to run on. And when he realised that he could run no more, that his legs would no longer support him, bony fingers grabbed at his shoulders, and he was wheeled round to look into the face of Voldemort. And the dark wizard had curled his talon like hands around Harry's face, covering his mouth. And he had leaned forward, so that Harry could see nothing but his demonic red eyes. And then he had said softly, hissing with pleasure.  
  
'Remember, nobody can hear you scream'.  
  
So it had began, so it was now. After saying those dreaded words, Voldemort had sunk his fingernails into Harry's flesh, causing the blood to run down his face like tears. He had nailed him to the ground, holding him in place, and had then begun the process of torturing the boy, his face glowing in rapture as he saw his nemesis writhing in silent agony. Harry now bore resemblance to an animal that had been brutally attacked, his flesh was a bloody mess, his insides screamed with pain, and nobody on the outside knew a thing about it. Things had been this way for a long while now, which to Harry meant that the people on the outside did not know about his current situation, or couldn't do a thing about it. Whichever way you looked at it, things were pretty hopeless. And as Voldemort prepared to strike another blow, Harry squeezed his eyes shut, thought of the things in the world that he held dear to his heart, and steeled himself for the pain that was sure to come.  
  
  
  
Dumbledore turned away from the sight on the hospital bed, and motioned for Remus to follow him to the other side of the room. He leant in to talk to him, speaking quietly so as not to disturb Sirius any further.  
  
'Remus, would you happen to know where Harry's friends are?' He asked. Dumbledore was rather worried by this particular turn of events. Usually, if Harry had ever ended up in the hospital wing, which was a regular occurrence, there had been a small army of students camped outside the doors, just waiting to hear how he was. Yet this time, when Harry was perhaps in the gravest state he had ever seen, there was no sign of any visitors whatsoever. Dumbledore, like the rest of the school, hadn't failed to notice the end of the friendship between Harry and Ron Weasley, he had known as soon as he had seen the look on Ron's face when he had read that note he had known then that he was not going to understand that Harry could not take the blame for his fathers death. The thought saddened him greatly; the two boys had at one point been inseparable. Fate however, had clearly seen otherwise. And yet even having lost the friendship of Ron, Harry was not at all without admirers and friends. His moustache had quivered in amusement, watching Harry's dismay as an army of adolescent girls descended upon him at the dinner table. And he seemed to be very good friends with the quidditch team, in particular the young Weasley girl. Hermione Granger had remained a close friend, and he of course knew about the bond between Harry and Draco. So where was everyone?  
  
Remus seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he called Madame Pomfrey over. She bustled towards them, looking very wary at the thought of leaving Sirius alone with her patient, even for five minutes.  
  
'Poppy' said Remus, 'have you seen any of the students since Harry was bought in here?'  
  
Madame Pomfrey nodded her head briskly, making both Dumbledore and Remus raise their eyebrows in surprise. Remus motioned for her to elaborate.  
  
'Just after he was brought in by the quidditch team, Ginny Weasley came in with Hermione Granger and the Malfoy boy.' She bristled after saying that name. 'He was most rude to me, completely disrespectful of my authority.'  
  
'And what did they do?' asked Remus, trying to sound soothing.  
  
'Well they came barging in here like nobody's business, and then Miss. Weasley started to break down completely, so I removed them from the ward. Miss Granger led them away after that, in the direction of the library I think.'  
  
'Thank you Poppy' said Dumbledore, signalling that the questioning was over. At this point, Madame Pomfrey rushed back to Harry, as though she was sure she would find that Sirius had done something wrong.  
  
'Albus' asked Remus, his voice intent, 'what do you think they went to do?'  
  
'Clearly' the headmaster answered, as a slight gleam of hope awoke in his eyes. 'Clearly they have a much better idea of what to do about Harry's current state than we do, I suggest that we trust their judgment for the time being.'  
  
Remus looked back across the room, where his lifelong friend sat, looking every bit a broken man. Whatever Harry's friends had planned, it had better be good.  
  
  
  
At that point, the friends were making their way from the library, back to the room that Harry and Draco shared. Hermione had in her arms a very ancient spell book. They reached their destination in no time. Hermione had picked the boys room because she knew that to even attempt this spell they were going to need absolute quite and concentration, and other than the chamber of secrets, this was a private and quiet place as she could think of. Once the three teenagers had all entered, Draco shut and bolted the door. Hermione stood in front of the other two, and began to talk.  
  
'All right. For this spell, we are going to have to do some pretty old magic. It's actually of Latin origin, which I fortunately began to learn at home over the summer, to help me with my spells of course.' Ginny and Draco rolled their eyes, and Hermione, having realised what she had just said, felt rather embarrassed, particularly in front of Draco. She had tried to push their kiss out of her mind, in light of the current situation, but she could still almost taste Draco's lips on hers.  
  
'Anyway' she said, trying to regain focus. 'We all have to partake in this chant, sitting in a circle, like we're doing a ouija board or something.' She stopped again at this statement, this time rolling her own eyes when she saw their blank faces. 'Never mind, it's a Muggle thing. We just have to make sure that we don't break the circle. If all goes well, we should be able to transport ourselves into Harry's dream. That's the easy part.'  
  
'Once we get inside, Draco can use his connection with Harry to shoulder some of the pain that he's feeling, to take some of the burden off. I'm going to continue the chant that's needed to exorcise Voldemort from Harry's head permanently, but it's up to Harry to free himself from the hold that Voldemort has on him at the moment. Ginny, that's where you come in. It will be your job to get Harry through that, to help him fight his way past Voldemort. And the moment he starts to lose his hold on Harry, we have to break the spell; otherwise it will all go horribly wrong, in ways that I have actually worked out yet. So then, everyone ready?' Hermione asked, trying to sound light.  
  
Draco and Ginny both swallowed, this was a very dangerous plan, with an awful lot of things that could go wrong. But then they remembered the picture of agony that was on Harry's face in the hospital, and their own faces seemed to strengthen in resolve.  
  
'All right,' said Draco, his jaw firmly set. 'Lets do it.'  
  
And so they sat down on the floor, forming a close circle. Each placed their wand in the middle, and then they held hands, fear mingled with determination on their faces. They were doing this for Harry. Hermione started to chant slowly in Latin, and soon Draco and Ginny joined in, repeating what she was saying. And then they were spinning around, each remembering Hermione's instructions, not to break the circle, forcing themselves to cling even more tightly to each other's hand. Soon they were spinning so fast, that the world had become a mere blur, and suddenly, they stopped spinning, and the world went black.  
  
  
  
Harry was still nailed to the floor, so covered in blood that he couldn't even see his own skin. Thankfully, the pain had gone, replaced by a numbness that Harry could only assume was the beginnings of death. He saw nothing now, except the fiery red of Voldemort's eyes, gleaming as they prepared for another attack. He started saying his goodbyes to everyone, too weak now to even begin thinking about fighting back. But then there was a flash of light, in that world that was so dark. And, as if looking towards the horizon, he could see others faces, blurred in the distance. And then he felt a voice inside his head, and something was revived in him as he recognised to whom the faces belonged. Harry had regained his hope.  
  
All right, thought Draco, here we are, now where is Harry. He looked around the inky blackness, and various things started to take shape. Trees, and figures, two figures up ahead. One was tall and thin, towering over the other figure, who was red. But people aren't red; oh wait, oh my god, he thought, as the realisation that the mass of blood and bones on the ground was Harry struck him. He then focused his mind, trying so very hard not to throw up at the sight, and keeping the memory of the Diggles as far from his thoughts as possible. Right then, focus, think. Ah, there we are. He could now picture the screaming form of his sort of brother in his mind. It's okay Harry, let off some of your pain, I can take it. He said it as though encouraging the Harry in his head, as though it could hear him, and strangely enough it seemed to be working. Either that or someone had snuck up behind Draco and hit him with a very big stick, because that's what it felt like. He shuddered as he imagined having to take this pain for that long. This thought only made him decide to take as much pain as Harry needed to let off, and Draco sat down, letting the little stabs of pain wash fully over his body. He was going to need serious medical attention after this.  
  
Hermione now stood about ten yards away from where Harry and Voldemort were. After getting over the horror of seeing Harry in that condition, she had realised that they had very little time to do what they had set out to do. Voldemort was now aware of their presence. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Draco sitting down, wincing slightly as he let Harry's pain enter him. She then turned, and started up her chant again, trying her hardest not to back down as Voldemort turned to face her, fury burning in his red eyes. She met his glare with a fierce determination, even though she knew that this was the most frightening being she would ever encounter, and she continued her chant, dimly aware of Ginny sneaking up to Harry.  
  
Ginny had to use all her energy not to collapse in tears again. Her beloved Harry lay before her, to all appearances near death, and if she couldn't convince him to fight, then he probably would die. She leant in towards him, and whispered in his ear.  
  
'Harry, Harry it's ok, we're here now, we're here to help you. You have to fight Harry, you're stronger than he is.' She stopped, waiting for a reply, if one was to come.  
  
'I can't, I'm weak, too tired', came the hoarse reply.  
  
'No Harry!' Ginny pleaded, her voice beginning to crack with tears. 'You can do this. All the pain, it's only in your head, please Harry. We need you.'  
  
He moved his face slightly, and very slowly opened his eyes. What Ginny saw there made her heart break. Clearly Harry had been through a lot more than physical torture. She knew she would have to think of something that would be powerful enough to get a response out of him. She spoke again.  
  
'Harry, remember all those people who died because of you. Well they died for a reason, to save you. You can't give up now, or all those sacrifices will have gone to waste. And the living need you too, according to that prophecy, you are the only one who can stop him. Please, if you give up now, you will be wasting countless more lives. Help the people who care about you. Draco, Hermione, Sirius and Remus, my family, and me.' She said, whispering the last part, as if she didn't want him to hear it.  
  
And like an answer to her prayers, Harry rose, still covered in blood, but strong. As if he had a sixth sense, Voldemort wheeled around, to see that Harry had released himself from the nails that had held him down. He extended a hand towards the dark lord, and a white light spurted out from it, pouring out all the pain and suffering that Harry had gone through, and throwing it back at Voldemort, who felt his hold on the boy being wrenched away from him. Hermione finished her chanting, and motioned desperately to the others that it was time to leave. Draco could barely stand after the pain he had endured silently for his friend. Hermione helped him to his feet; Ginny came running over to join them, and the held hands, spinning away as they saw Voldemort flying off into a black abyss.  
  
They landed back on the floor, each looking dazed, and slightly confused. They looked at each other. Ginny spoke first.  
  
'Did it work?' She sounded tentative. Draco rose, surprised that he no longer felt the mind numbing pain that he had done in that other world.  
  
'Only one way to find out' he said, making his way towards the door. The two girls followed him, and they started nervously towards the hospital wing. But halfway there, by one of the larger staircases, somebody stopped them in their tracks. Ron Weasley stood at the foot of the stairs, a twisted smile on his freckled face.  
  
'Hermione darling, I wonder if you could tell me what you've been doing with Draco Malfoy in the library for the past couple of weeks?'  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters are Rowlings, Poem is Kipling's.  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: The reason that the characters don't feel pain outside the dream world is because Voldemort also loves to torture people mentally. Part of what makes him scary is that he knows what peoples worst fears are, and how to exploit them, and this is really the part of his character that I wanted to explore in this story. By the way, thank you so much for reviewing, it's really good to know that you like my story, and it keeps me updating! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter 7  
  
If you can meet with triumph and disaster  
  
And treat those two imposters just the same;  
  
1 R. Kipling  
  
'Well Hermione?' Ron asked, with his arms crossed tightly, looking at his girlfriend with a thin lipped smile. Draco stepped forward.  
  
'No!' Hermione said suddenly. 'Draco, Ginny, you go see if Harry's all right, this is between Ron and me'. She spoke firmly, as if she were commanding them to leave. Ginny started off in the direction of the infirmary, but Draco stayed stock-still.  
  
'Go Draco, please' said Hermione, a hint of plea now in her voice. Ginny grabbed his arm and led him determinedly away. Hermione was now alone with Ron.  
  
'So, are you going to answer me now?' he said, putting menace into every single syllable. Hermione launched into an explanation.  
  
'Well Ron, I know that you aren't friends with Harry anymore, but I still am, and so is Draco, and Harry was having really bad nightmares, and we were researching in the library for some sort of spell that would make the nightmares go away.'  
  
'Oh I see.' Ron cut her off, his voice dripping with ice. 'You wanted him to forget that he is responsible for the death of my father, is that it?'  
  
'No' she said, now beginning to sound a bit desperate. 'Ron, you have to see sense; it was not Harry's fault that your dad died. It was only Volde..'  
  
'Don't tell me what to think!' He yelled, the sound echoed off the walls, extending up to the very roof of the castle. Hermione continued, her voice shaking.  
  
'Ron, the rest of your family have all accepted the fact that Harry had nothing to do with your fathers murder, it's time you accepted it too. What I was originally saying was that Draco and me spent all that time looking for a way to stop Harry's nightmares, and I got to know him very well. He's not like he was before, really Ron. And one thing led to another, and well, we kissed.'  
  
'WHAT?' Ron bellowed, his face going scarlet.  
  
'Wasn't that what you wanted to talk to me about?' she asked, fearing his answer.  
  
'I was only told that you'd been seen in the library together, I had know idea you did that.' He said, beginning to mumble like a mad man.  
  
Hermione cringed inwardly. Stupid, she thought. She should have hoped that Ron didn't know about the kiss. She remembered his reaction to hearing that she had kissed Viktor Krum. She stepped back, just in case Ron got really really angry again, she didn't want another fight like there had been before. Somewhere deep down, Hermione was glad that Ron had found out about her and Draco, it would mean they could finally get everything out in the open, and she would at last have a chance to walk away from this relationship. She felt so bad for Ron, but putting up with those awful fights, with that ongoing circle of jealousy and bickering, it was suffocating her. She longed to get out, and if she was honest with herself, she longed to be with Draco. There was still a chance that he didn't feel the same way, but she was willing to risk it.  
  
Ron seemed to have gained control of his senses, and he now glared at her. Hermione felt her own temper rising, and she glared back at him with equal malice.  
  
'Who's it going to be Hermione? Me, or him?' his voice was quiet, but to Hermione, it was the only sound that existed at the moment.  
  
'Him!' she screamed back, losing all trace of control, and Ron stepped back from her as if he had been slapped. He had lost both his best friend and his girlfriend, all before the first term had even ended. Hermione knew that this must be crushing him, and she longed to be there for him, just as she had been in the past. But she knew also, in her heart, that he just wasn't the same person anymore, the tall freckled boy whom she'd thought she was in love with. She couldn't stay with him anymore; it wasn't fair to either of them.  
  
'Ron, we just don't feel the same way we did before, we need to end it now, before we can hurt each other anymore, it's what we have to do' she said, hoping against hope to calm him down. He surprised her with his response.  
  
'Of course we don't feel the same way, we haven't felt the same way for a long time now.' There was a part of Hermione that was relieved to hear him agreeing with her, and a part of her that was quite disturbed by what he was going to say next.  
  
'Ron, why didn't you just end it when you started feeling this way?' she asked in a small voice. Ron smiled, the moonlight that was now streaming into the castle lit up the cruel smirk that was now on his face. As he spoke, the smirk grew wider and wider.  
  
'Several reasons really. One, for old times sake I suppose, another, because I didn't want people to think that I'd lost out to Potter.' A chill crept up her spine, as she took in what he was saying, noting with dread the way he referred to his former best friend as 'Potter'. Ron continued, he seemed to grow stronger as he saw the hurt that was creeping onto his face.  
  
'I guess that their was a bit of friendship still their, but most of all Hermione, there was the fact that being with you showed everyone that I wasn't just the BLOODY SIDEKICK OF HARRY POTTER!' He shouted the last part of his sentence, a frightened first year that had considered trying to get down the stairs took one look at them and scurried off in the opposite direction.  
  
'You don't mean that' Hermione finally answered, the horror of what he had said really beginning to kick in. 'You're just hurt Ron, you need to go somewhere and calm down.'  
  
'You'd love to think that, wouldn't you Hermione? Think that I don't mean what I say, because it spares your feelings. Well you're wrong; I'm serious about everything I've said. In the end, you are nothing but a piece of sentiment, and a way of proving to everyone that I was always just as good as Potter. But I don't need you anymore, so you can keep your little blond ferret, because I will have respect, and I don't need you.' With that, Ron turned around and stormed away.  
  
Hermione was panting as though she just run a marathon. She tried to convince herself that Ron didn't mean those things, that in a weeks time he would come up to her and apologize, and that somebody would bring him back to his senses. She knew he had every right to be angry, to feel betrayed. Because at the centre of all that anger and malice, there was just a teenage boy who was losing his loved ones left right and centre.  
  
And then the hurt washed over her, the incredible hurt, and she sank down on the floor, gasping, as the tears exploded out of her in great, heaving sobs.  
  
Hermione, what's wrong? Came a voice.  
  
Nothing Harry, now is not a good time okay? She replied, and then she started. How could Harry possibly be talking to her now? She looked around the cavernous room, and there was no sign of anyone, let alone Harry. Then she realised that she herself hadn't even spoken, had merely said the reply in her head. But then, she thought with wonder, that was where Harry's voice had come from in the first place. Her head.  
  
Harry? Where are you? She thought again, there was nothing for a second, and then the voice replied again.  
  
I'm in the hospital wing, with Ginny and Draco. Hermione, are you all right? He hadn't even commented on the strangeness of them having a conversation in their heads. Hermione stood, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
I'm fine, I'll be there in a minute, there's just something I have to do. She waited for a reply, but none came, and so she wandered off, beginning to wonder if she'd just imagined that entire conversation. Like she had told Harry, she didn't go straight to the hospital wing, but to the boy's room, where she had left that spell book. In her haste to help Harry, she hadn't read through the particular spell thoroughly, glancing only at the chant and instructions. How could she have been so careless?  
  
She entered the room; it looked a bit too normal, after such an important spell had been cast there. She saw the book lying open on the floor, just where she had left it. She lifted the musty old object up, and ran a finger along the delicate print on the wrinkled old pages. She scanned the section, and finally found what she was looking for.  
  
'Right, here we go, history and effects' she muttered, a little disturbed at the fact that she was now talking to herself. She read the passage.  
  
Drunda, a druidess in Ireland, who was famous for her skills involving dream spells, first cast this particular spell in AD50. The original copy of the spell has been lost, when Roman wizards, taking a break from the expanding of the Roman Empire, captured it. The only surviving copies have therefore been translated into Latin, such as the one shown in this book. The spell has rather unusual side effects, which differ from caster to caster. The use of the spell can lead to people being caught up in the head of their subject for a period of up to two hundred years, though this only usually happens if the spell is cast incorrectly. A more common side effect to the spell is that the bonds caused by it can create a telepathic connection between the casters and the subject of the spell.  
  
At this point Hermione stopped reading. She knew enough now. She tucked the book under her arm and started hastily towards the hospital wing.  
  
  
  
Dumbledore stood to one side of the hospital wing, looking a great deal happier than he had done a few hours ago. Remus and Sirius were sitting beside him, and all three men were looking toward the other side of the room, where Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley were sitting beside a much more lively looking Harry Potter, talking about something which Dumbledore felt had a lot to do with Harry's waking up from his coma like state about half an hour ago. Sirius had not moved from Harry's bedside since he had arrived, and he had been looking more and more like a man who was drowning in his own misery. And then, very suddenly, Harry had screamed, and opened his eyes. The suddenness of his movements ad caused Sirius to fall backwards off his chair, and Harry, much to everyone's surprise, had laughed. Madame Pomfrey had rushed forward to tend to any injuries the boy may have sustained, but she had found nothing, not even a scratch. Dumbledore and Remus had come over then, Remus to calm down a hyperventilating Sirius, and Dumbledore to ask Harry what had happened. They had been interrupted by the sudden arrival of Draco and Ginny, who had looked both delighted and guilty when they saw Harry and the three adults. Despite Madame Pomfrey's protests, Dumbledore had given the two students permission to stay with Harry for the night, and the nurse matron was now in the office sulking.  
  
'Albus,' said Sirius, turning away from the scene on the hospital bed, the light back in his eyes. 'How do you think they did it?'  
  
Dumbledore didn't even bother to question who Sirius was referring to when he said 'they', for he knew that his former pupil was thinking very much along the same lines that he was.  
  
'That I think, is a question we shall have to ask them some time, Sirius. But not tonight, later.'  
  
Remus looked like he was he deep thought, his brow furrowing in concentration. He knew that Harry had somehow been attacked in his dreams, and that these students had stopped it. So how had they done it? He looked over at the three of them again, and was surprised to see that they were now absolutely silent, and they were merely looking at each other. This all seemed very familiar, the defence against the dark arts professor was sure he had seen this somewhere before. And yet for the life of him, he just couldn't remember where it had been.  
  
Then Hermione Granger walked through the doors to the hospital wing, and Remus stared at the book that was clasped under her arm. And as he stared at the writing, he remembered. He knew what they had done.  
  
'Albus, Sirius, perhaps we should leave for a moment, there is something I must discuss with you.' He stared at them both intently, before motioning to the door. The three men left the hospital wing.  
  
  
  
'Harry!' Hermione cried, running across the hospital wing and throwing herself into the arms of what was now her best friend. He embraced her warmly, before she finally let him go, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she sat down next to Draco by the bed. He looked at her questioningly, noting the red circles around her eyes, but then turned away, not before giving her a look that indicated to her that they needed to talk later.  
  
'You won't believe what I found out' Hermione said, plonking the hefty book down on the bedside table. 'I was reading up on the spell that we did, I'm sure Draco and Ginny have told you about it Harry..'  
  
We already know Herm, it's all right, came Harry's voice, warm with amusement inside her head.  
  
'Oh' she said out loud, slightly disappointed to be the last to find out about this unusual side effect. She knew that Harry and Draco had become amazing at schoolwork, mainly because they had come into their power. But still, Hermione was used to being the one to explain everything to everyone else.  
  
'We can't all do it though,' said Ginny. 'We can't all talk to each other, only to Harry.' She sounded rather pleased about the fact that she and Harry could now communicate without even having to speak.  
  
'Oh', was all Hermione could say again. She herself was rather disappointed that she couldn't get inside Draco's head.  
  
Harry cleared his throat. 'Right then, back to what I was talking about before. I'm fine now, Hermione, you clearly aren't. What happened with Ron?'  
  
'What?' said Ginny, sounding perplexed. 'We didn't talk about Hermione and Ron.'  
  
'No, I talked to her in her head.' Harry explained to Ginny.  
  
This telepathy thing is going to get very confusing, Draco thought ruefully at Harry.  
  
Tell me about it came Harry's reply.  
  
I'm glad you're all right though.  
  
Thanks, and I hope I didn't deflect too much of that pain onto you, Harry thought, sounding regretful.  
  
I could have taken ten times as much pain, if it meant you didn't have to deal with it alone. Draco thought back, smiling at the look of gratitude that appeared on Harry's face.  
  
They broke their silent conversation to find the girls staring at them with veiled annoyance.  
  
'So Hermione' said Harry, as Draco snorted with laughter, 'what did happen with Ron?'  
  
'We're not together anymore.' Hermione said quietly, her head hanging low. Draco looked up at her, feeling a tiny ray of hope in his heart.  
  
Um Harry, is it all right if Draco and me have a little word outside for a moment?  
  
Harry nodded, and winked as Hermione stood up and led a very confused looking Draco to the door.  
  
He turned to Ginny, who was fiddling with the hospital curtain anxiously. Tiny strands of her fiery red hair were glistening in the light of the candles that flickered on the walls of the infirmary. Harry put a hand on hers to stop her fidgeting, and Ginny felt as if she had been electrocuted.  
  
'Thank you so much Ginny, for what you did for me in that place.' He said.  
  
'Me,' she managed to squeak, fully aware of just how close to her Harry was, he really had been playing a lot of quidditch over the summer! 'I didn't do anything, Draco took all your pain, Hermione did the spell, and I was just there to convince you to do something.'  
  
'You did so much more than that' he said passionately, 'you gave me a purpose to keep living, to keep fighting. I couldn't have stood up to Voldemort without you to help me Gin, surely you can see that.'  
  
And Ginny gasped, not quite sure of what to say. She was so in love with Harry, and yet so scared of him, of the power he had on her. She had directly defied her older brother's wish, and had continued to be his friend. And Ron resented her for that, for the fact that she had chosen Harry over him. But Ginny knew that she had no power over her choice, Harry was like a poison to her, he had completely affected her senses, and she was drawn to him in ways she couldn't begin to describe. And, until she had confessed to him how deep her feelings were, she would never be cured. Yet she was so scared of his rejection, that she had lived with these feelings forever, too frightened to build up any hope that Harry could possibly return her feelings.  
  
'I'm glad I was able to help you Harry' she said softly, not meeting his eyes. He gave her hand a final squeeze, and then let go. She finally looked up, only to smile, when she saw that Harry had fallen fast asleep. Gingerly, she kissed her finger, and laid it on his cheek, as though it were a fragile thing, which would break at her slightest touch. She then climbed into the next bed, and drifted off to sleep herself, never seeing the hint of a smile that crossed Harry's face.  
  
While all this was going on, Hermione had led Draco out of the hospital wing, and down into a deserted classroom that neither of them had seen before. Now that she had him there, in front of her, Hermione was unsure of what to do. The two stood a few paces apart from each other.  
  
'So' Hermione breathed, letting her nerves spill out of her mouth in that one word. Draco started the conversation, his voice uncertain, the moonlight bouncing off his pale hair, and castling shadows on his finely carved face.  
  
'You broke up with Ron?' he asked, the icy blue of his eyes giving no clue as to what he was feeling.  
  
'Yes' Hermione said, too afraid to add any more.  
  
'Why?' he asked, stepping ever so slightly forward, making Hermione's heart flutter. She made a promise to herself then that she would never tell anyone about what Ron had said when he had ended their relationship; she would take those horrible words to her grave.  
  
'He found out about us, and he gave me choice. He asked me whether it was to be him, or you.' She said, looking at his face for any hint of what his feelings were towards her.  
  
'And?' he said, coming even closer, holding his breath ever so slightly. There was a crackling tension in the air, as if the room itself were waiting for Hermione's answer.  
  
'I said you' she whispered, throwing caution to the wind. And in two seconds, Draco had crossed the remaining distance between them, and had wrapped her in his arms, letting Hermione sob into his arms. He never questioned why she was crying, never asked just what Ron's reaction to that decision had been. All that really mattered to him was the fact that Hermione wanted to be with him. He knew now that it didn't matter whether your blood was pure, the only thing that was important was the fact that he wanted to be with the girl who was crying into his shoulder, the first person to ever call him brave in his entire life. He lifted Hermione's face upwards, and gently wiped away her tears for her. He kissed her nose, her cheek, and then her lips, so gently, and so tenderly that it took Hermione's breath away. And when the tear and the kisses had come to an end. He took his new girlfriends hand in his, and he led her back to the infirmary, where their two friends were both fast asleep. And after a goodnight kiss, Draco and Hermione joined them. Madame Pomfrey tutted, as she came back into the room to find four sleeping students taking up her hospital beds.  
  
  
  
'Are you sure that that is what they did Remus?' asked Sirius, looking around at his friend.  
  
'I'm quite certain,' Remus replied. 'I recognise the book from when we were at Hogwarts. I used to read a lot while I was up in the Shrieking Shack, waiting for the transformation.' He paused. 'And I came across that spell in there. It allows those who cast it to travel into someone's dream, and to exorcise whatever demons or evils are haunting that persons head. That's how they got Voldemort out, I'm sure of it. It can also create telepathic bonds between the castors and the person whom the spell effects, which tells us why they all kept going so quiet.'  
  
Remus then fell silent, letting the magnitude of what three students had done sink in to Dumbledore and Sirius.  
  
'But surely three students would not be able to do magic this advanced.' Said Sirius, raking a hand through his hair. 'It's not possible'.  
  
'I disagree Sirius, it is entirely possible,' said Dumbledore, standing up. 'For love is the strongest form of magic, as Harry well knows. For the casting of the spell was an act of love from those people. Hermione Granger, Harry's best friend. Ginny Weasley, who has been in love with him for four years. And Draco Malfoy, Harry's brother of the legacy. Love that powerful, is surely enough to elevate them to the standards of magic needed to perform that spell.'  
  
At this, there was again silence, this time mingled in with a great respect for those three teenagers had done.  
  
'Who knows,' Sirius finally said. 'This telepathy between Harry and the others may be a blessing.'  
  
'Yes,' said Dumbledore, sitting down again at his desk. 'It may well be'.  
  
  
  
After the adults had discovered by themselves just how Harry had been saved from his own nightmares, the four students were never questioned about the events of that day. This was good news for them, as nobody had a desire to recollect just what had gone on in that dark place. Voldemort, by all accounts, was furious that he was no longer allowed to enter Harry's dream state, and it had only fuelled his own ambitions of hurting the boy beyond belief. Protections had therefore been put up around the castle, and Harry and Draco were to be in their room by eight at night, unless they were having lessons. Dumbledore was now very much aware that Hermione and Ginny knew about Harry and Draco's involvement in the prophecy, and was quite sure that the boys would have filled in any gaps in their knowledge. And yet he was quite relieved that others knew, it meant there were more people available who cared about Harry and Draco, who knew of their importance. If the casting of that spell was anything to go by, this love was definitely a thing to be encouraged.  
  
Hermione was not so pleased with things at the moment. The minute that her and Draco had become public knowledge, the entire Gryffindor house had shunned her. Hermione was now labelled a traitor. Harry's association with Draco was out down to unfortunate circumstances by most the Gryffindors, and his position as quidditch captain redeemed him in the minds of most his housemates. But by finishing with Ron Weasley to go out with Draco Malfoy, sworn enemy of the Gryffindors, Hermione had committed an unforgivable sin, one that was not likely to be forgotten anytime soon. The time she spent in the common room was miserable. She and Ginny would sit in the corner, trying to ignore the murderous stares that were thrown Hermione's way by the rest of the house. Ron ignored them, but he did nothing to stop them either. The one comfort in this situation for Hermione was Ginny; she had stuck by her friend through it all. People were surprised at this, for Ginny was Ron's little sister, surely she should be siding with her family. But Ginny knew what Ron had become, and she spent all her time in Gryffindor house with Hermione, keeping her company so she wouldn't pay so much attention to those awful stares and whispers. Hermione had one other ally in the house, Neville. He had come up to her, two days after the school had learned of Draco and Hermione being together.  
  
'Hermione' he had said, shifting from foot to foot, as though he wasn't quite sure whether he should be doing this. 'I don't know what you're doing, dumping Ron for Draco, and I know that the rest of the house isn't happy with you. But I just wanted to say, that Gryffindors should be loyal to each other, and you've always been nice to me, and helped me in lessons, so I want you to know, that you can still count me as a friend.' And then he had turned round and walked dazedly off to his next lesson, leaving Hermione staring after him with an awed smile on her face. And so she had begun to sit with Neville in her lessons, and he was as good a friend as she could hope for. Draco sat with Harry, to save Hermione from further glares if she worked with Draco. These people were helping her to get through the rejection of the Gryffindors actions, but she still found herself feeling miserable from time to time. When Harry and Ginny were at quidditch practices, she would go to the library and help Neville with his work, or she would go on a walk with Draco. On one such walk, she encountered a very nasty looking Crabbe. Draco had experienced much the same reactions from the Slytherins as Hermione had from the Gryffindors. Not only was his girlfriend from the house of their worst enemies, but she was also a mudblood. Crabbe stood, sneering at the pair, as if elated to finally be considered better than his old friend.  
  
'What do we have here? Why it's ferret and the mudblood!' he sniggered at his own joke. Hermione went forward, but Draco stopped her, instead speaking to him.  
  
'Crabbe, your face is comparable to that of a slug. It is slow, slimy and ugly, and at this moment in time I would dearly like to bash it in.' He removed his wand from his pocket. 'Please leave before I act on that desire.' Crabbe took one look at Draco's face, before he turned and made his way back up to the castle. He wheeled around to see Hermione collapsing with laughter.  
  
'The look on his face when he worked out what you'd said!' she said between fits of giggles.  
  
'Well I was protecting the honour of my good lady' he said, stepping forward, putting an end to her giggles by covering her mouth with his. And as Hermione relaxed into his kiss, she sighed inwardly. This almost made up for the exile from her house. Almost.  
  
  
  
'Very good, Mr. Malfoy.' Said professor McGonegal, who had taken over Professor Lupin's nightly teaching duties, being that it was the time of the full moon. She motioned for Harry to come forward and try the particular spell that they were focusing on, a gigantic blocking spell. Again Professor McGonegal demonstrated. This was an unusual, it jus required you to hold out you r wand and focus on protecting something very hard, there were no words needed. Harry stepped forward, and the professor started to fire a curse at him, he raised his wand, and thought. He thought about those who had already lost their lives in the battle against Voldemort, and those who were still there to protect. He imagined the students and teachers of Hogwarts, he imagined Sirius and Hagrid. He then thought of the three people who had risked everything to save him from his nightmares. And then he heard Draco gasp, and he opened his tightly closed eyes. Between him and professor McGonegal's now feeble looking curse there was a gigantic shell of light that divided the room into two. Even Draco's blocking spell hadn't been that big. As Harry relaxed, the barrier faded, as did the curse, having spent its energy trying to get through the enormous wall of Harry's creation. Professor McGonegal herself looked rather stunned.  
  
'Goodness Potter' she said lightly. 'You clearly have a lot of people who you feel the need to protect.'  
  
Harry nodded faintly, hearing Draco's voice in his head.  
  
She doesn't know the half of it.  
  
McGonegal appeared irritated that the boys were not giving her their complete attention. She bristled, and called the evening's lesson to an end. She wished the boys good luck in their upcoming quidditch match, shaking her head as they both burst into laughter.  
  
All right, thought Harry, two grannies sitting on a park bench, and a naked man runs by. One has a stroke, the other couldn't reach.  
  
Draco was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. That's disgusting.  
  
'Funny though', said Harry, chuckling. Then, in unison, they both realised the implications of what the professor had just said. They were going to have to play each other at quidditch.  
  
Harry, having fully recovered from his ordeal, had led his team to a guilty thrashing of the hufflepuff side, who without Cedric, were just no good at all. The score of 350- 10 was said quietly by Lee Jordan, to muffled claps, with everyone in the stadium very glad when Harry had caught the snitch. Their next match was against Slytherin, a much harder game, and one in which Harry and Draco would be in direct competition with each other. Both boys swallowed.  
  
'Well' said Draco uncertainly. 'It won't be any different than when we played each other in the summer I suppose.'  
  
'It won't if we don't let it,' Harry said firmly. 'We can both promise here that, whatever happens on the pitch, has nothing to do with our being friends.'  
  
'Right' said Draco, still sounding a bit unsure.  
  
And it was in that frame of mind that the two boys began to prepare for the match. Draco found things a bit harder than Harry, what with the rest of the team hating him. Both the boys tried to continue things in the most normal way possible, but their friendship was under strain in the days leading up to the match, despite all their best efforts.  
  
The morning of the match dawned cool and clear, and Harry and Draco rose reluctantly, not wanting to face the day they had been dreading for a while now. Both ate their breakfast silently, the tension thick in the room. And then, saying falsely cheerful farewells to each other, they made there way off to their separate changing rooms. Harry greeted his team half- heartedly, and began his pre match pep talk, telling the team that they would do the best they could.  
  
Anything the matter Harry? Asked Ginny in his head.  
  
Just worrying about playing Draco, Gin. He replied, amazed at how quickly he had adjusted to being able to talk to his friends in his head. I'll get over it, we have a match to play. And side by side they made their way out on to the pitch, met by screaming hoards of Gryffindors, including Harry's fan club, who had made a special banner for the occasion, prompting jeers and sniggers from the droves of Slytherins' that stood on the other side of the stadium.  
  
The teams were facing each other on the pitch. Ginny and Harry gave Draco a quick smile, which he gratefully returned. He looked like he was about to be sick. Hermione sat next to Neville in the stands, amid the glares of the other Gryffindors. Madame Hooch walked into the centre of the teams, and blew her whistle, releasing the balls into the air. And the game began.  
  
By Slytherin standards, it was a fairly clean game. Since the departure of Marcus Flint, there had been a complete lack of organisation on the Slytherin team, and a failure to come up with any more dirty tactics. Convinced that neither he nor Draco was close to catching the snitch, Harry looked around to watch the rest of the game. Ginny was one of the best things to happen to the team, she was a natural keeper, using every part of the broom to fend of the oncoming quaffle. So far, Slytherin had yet to score a point against her, Harry noted proudly. Fred and George were more than a match for the bludgers and the opposing beaters, and the three girls were definitely doing their job of getting Gryffindor on the scoreboard.  
  
All they needed now was for Harry to see and catch the snitch. And, as if it could read his thoughts. He saw it, glistening in the winter sun at the other end of the pitch. And Harry gave chase, with Draco close behind him, he flattened himself against the firebolt, urging his broom to go faster, he rocketed through the air, dimly aware of the crowd screaming around him. And then he was there, and he had the snitch in his hand, and it was over. He looked around, to see Draco's reaction to the games ending, whether he was relieved or angry. But Draco was nowhere to be seen, Harry looked all around him. He was now sharply aware that the other students were not screaming in excitement, they were screaming in horror. And as he looked down, he felt his heart jump into his mouth. For he looked down just in time to see Draco hit the pitch floor with a hard thud, and then stop moving all together.  
  
  
  
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situation belongs to J.K Rowling, and the poem belongs to Kipling. 


	8. Chapter eight

Chapter Eight  
  
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken  
  
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,  
  
1 R. Kipling  
  
  
  
Harry felt the blood pounding in his head as he bent his broomstick downwards and started to manically descend. Draco was still lying on the floor, Harry couldn't tell at that point if he was conscious or not. Above him in the stands, Lee Jordan was saying the score faintly.  
  
'Harry Potter catches the snitch, Gryffindor wins 170 to 0.' Any other time it would have been an incredible score line, Ginny had managed to stop every single shot. But hardly anybody heard what Lee was saying, such was the chaos on the pitch at that moment.  
  
Harry had reached the ground in an instant, nobody had ever seen him dive that fast, not even in an actual match. Hermione had run down from the stands the moment Draco had fallen off the broom. But even she didn't get to the pitch before Harry did. He was running over to the body that lay in a crumpled heap on the grass, when Malcolm Baddock, a Slytherin goon, blocked his way.  
  
'Get away Gryffindor' he spat. 'This is our team mate, not yours'. He seemed to have forgotten at that moment that the whole of Slytherin house hated Draco, just for the chance to upset Harry Potter. This had not been a good idea, because it made Harry lose his temper. He held out a hand and Baddock went flying across the pitch, landing in an undignified pile at the other end of the stadium. Harry used this opportunity to run forward to Draco. He waved his hand, conjured up a stretcher, and left before any of the Slytherins could get over the shock of what had just happened. Hermione and Ginny ran after him, and the three of them accompanied the unconscious Draco up to the hospital wing again, leaving a stunned school in their wake.  
  
Harry didn't speak until Draco was safely installed in a hospital bed. He had been utterly shocked to see that when he was lowered onto the bed, there was blood on the back of his head. Harry's face turned ghostly white and he sat down beside the bed, with Ginny next to him, and Hermione on the other side, stroking Draco's now matted hair. Harry looked up at her, his voice hoarse.  
  
'Hermione, what happened?'  
  
Hermione started to explain, her voice cracking as she spoke. 'He was chasing after you to get to the snitch, and something came out of the blue and hit him in the back of the head. Nobody knows who threw it, or whether it was a bludger, because everyone was two busy watching the two of you chase the snitch. He must have been knocked out from the blow, because he just tumbled off the broom. He fell so fast, nobody could do anything to stop him.' She fell silent, gripping Draco's hand in her own. Nobody seemed to have anything to say. Harry stared intently at Draco's head, fighting the urge to flinch as he saw the blood seeping onto the white sheets from Draco's head. After a few moments he swore, and bent forward with his head in his hands. Ginny put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and Harry raised his head, looking utterly wretched.  
  
'I tried to reach him in my head, but there was no answer, no nothing. It was as if he wasn't there anymore.' And he looked down at Draco's bloody head in despair.  
  
Madame Pomfrey bustled over to look at her new patient, and showed no surprise at seeing the four of them there. She summoned a casket of various potions over, and moved the three friends out the way so that she could get a better look at Draco's injury.  
  
'You'll be staying with him, I suppose?' she asked, without even looking up from her work.  
  
'Of course' said Harry firmly, as if he were daring the nurse matron to disagree with him, instead she tutted and asked waspishly.  
  
'Will you be wanting me to build you your own wing of the hospital Potter? You and your friends are certainly here enough.'  
  
Ginny and Hermione had to work to drag Harry away, he was busy giving death looks to Madame Pomfrey. The three of them waited on a spare bed for around fourty-five minutes, not really saying anything to one another. Finally, Madame Pomfrey approached them.  
  
'Well, it's a fairly nasty injury, not just the head wound, but the fall as well' she said. Then she relented a little as she saw that all three of the students were waiting with baited breath to hear of their friends present condition.  
  
'he'll be all right' she said, in as soothing a voice as she could manage. 'He'll have a sore head for a while, but he'll be fine.  
  
And, as one, Harry, Ginny and Hermione let out huge sighs of relief. Madame Pomfrey left them to it, and went back to the office, promising to come and check on Draco's condition later. She shook her head as she left. They were very nice children, those four, but they were almost ridiculously accident prone.  
  
She was about to go back to her normal business, when four Hogwarts teachers burst through the doors, making a beeline for Draco and the others. Dumbledore was looking fairly grave, Mcgonagal furious, Professor Lupin understanding and Professor Snape livid.  
  
Dumbledore came closer, and Harry, Hermione and Ginny moved out of the way, presuming that Professor Dumbledore wished to look at Draco's present condition. To their surprise, the teachers didn't even glance at the boy on the bed, instead coming up to Harry. Harry raised his face, and looked warily into the searching eyes of Professor Dumbledore.  
  
'I would like to ask Harry, why you felt it necessary to use your powers in the presence of the entire school?' Dumbledore asked, his weary face showing disappointment. Harry bowed his head, and Ginny and Hermione stepped forward.  
  
'Professor Dumbledore' Hermione started, 'it wasn't Harry's fault. The Slytherin team wouldn't let him go and see to Draco, he was worried.'  
  
'They provoked him!' Ginny cried, then blushed, startled at her daring, for speaking to the headmaster that way. Snape was sneering, evidently about to say something.  
  
'Clearly Potter feels that his, talents, puts him above the school rules. Perhaps he wanted to show the opposition that is he not to be messed with, or maybe he just wanted to throw his weight around.'  
  
'Severus' Professor Mcgonagal said warningly. Professor Lupin was frowning in the direction of his old enemy, Dumbledore was looking irritated and Hermione and Ginny had stepped forward to defend Harry once again, but he stopped them, holding his hand up and causing the entire room to stare at him.  
  
'I see no need to justify myself to you Professor Snape, being that no explanation I could possibly give to you would be enough to put a stop to your hatred of me.' This silenced the potions master. For four years, Harry and Professor Snape had hated each other, had looked at each other in loathing, but neither of them had ever dared to say it out loud, and in front of the other teachers. Snape looked like he had no idea of what to do. Harry continued.  
  
'I know that my lack of control on the pitch was a very bad move, but if I could go back I would not change things. I wanted to get to my friend, and those people would not let me. They were not holding me back out of concern, they were doing it out of spite. I understand that you may want to punish me professors, and if you have your punishment ready, give it to me now. Otherwise let us forget the matter. Voldemort already knows of the prophecy, that was why he killed my parents. No great secrets have been revealed today to my knowledge. If they have, perhaps you would care to enlighten me?' he finished, looking questioningly at a room that had been stunned into silence. Harry waited for a moment, and nobody said anything.  
  
'Good. Then please allow me to get back to Draco, being that he's just woken up.' And the group looked behind Harry to see that Draco was in fact, lying on the bed with his eyes open. Snape and Mcgonagol looked astounded that Harry had known that the boy had woken up without even turning around. But as he began to make his way back to the bed, Snape found his tongue.  
  
'How dare you speak to us in that manner?' he hissed, halfway between fury and disbelief, his face spitting sparks, but his eyes wide.  
  
Harry fixed him with a cold stare. 'Because, Professor Snape, in a time when we are at war with evil, there is no time to draw lines between ourselves, we are all equal. And we need all be putting our energies into the fight against Voldemort, not squabbling over whether to hand out detention or take away house points. If you have a punishment ready, I shall take it. But my friend was attacked today, and I feel that looking after him is my number one priority at the moment.' Harry turned again, looking into the stunned face of Draco. Out of the gaze of teachers, he grinned at him.  
  
Nobody could say anything for a few more moments. Nobody could really believe that the boy in front of them was Harry Potter. Not only had he talked down to Snape twice, but he had made a speech that had rendered Dumbledore himself speechless. None of them had ever seen a student talk to the teachers like that, they had never heard anybody sound so authoritative, not even Dumbledore. In fact, it took the professors a while to remember that they were actually the adults, and Harry was the child. He didn't look that much of a child anymore, Professor Lupin noted sadly. He looked so intent now, he had lost the innocence that had been a part of him for the first four years of Hogwarts. There was something in those emerald pools of his eyes that told you he had experienced tragedy beyond belief. Despite all this however, after his speech, there had been something in Harry's manner that had commanded the respect of every single person in the room.  
  
Why then did Dumbledore look so grave?  
  
He coughed softly, causing Harry to again turn and face him. This time, he did not back down, instead meeting Dumbledore's stare evenly.  
  
'Be that as it may Harry, you still used your powers to attack another student.' Dumbledore began, looking terribly unsure about something. 'And, as far as I know, there can only be one punishment for that, expulsion.' Dumbledore spoke the words as if they sounded unnatural to him. The room drew in a collective gasp. Harry Potter, expelled from Hogwarts? It was unthinkable.  
  
'Albus, surely you cannot be serious?' said Lupin, looking unnerved. Dumbledore still hadn't looked away from Harry, the two seemed to be saying something, as if they were coming to a silent understanding between each other.  
  
'I'm afraid that that is what the school commands.' Dumbledore answered. Ginny and Hermione looked stunned, and Harry made his way to the door. He looked back at his friends and professors.  
  
'If that's my punishment, then I shall take it. I'll see you all sometime.' And he continued towards the door.  
  
Harry! Came Draco's voice in his head, sounding frantic. What the hell are you doing?  
  
Harry continued walking, only saying in his head, trust me.  
  
And just as he was about to walk out the hospital door, to leave the school. Severus Snape spoke, surprising even himself.  
  
'Professor, I feel sure that the school rules would make an exception in circumstances such as these. Perhaps a long round of detentions would be sufficient punishment for Potter.'  
  
And the room found itself in complete shock for the third time. Severus Snape had just stood up in defence of his most loathed student, what on earth was going on in Hogwarts today?  
  
Dumbledore stopped and looked thoughtful, as if he were giving serious consideration to Snape's request. But his moustache quivered slightly as he spoke again.  
  
'I suppose that, in light of the circumstances that surrounded this incident, your suggestion is a fair one Severus. Perhaps you yourself would like to oversee Harry's detentions?'  
  
Snape nodded once. 'Potter, be in my dungeon at eight sharp tomorrow evening. You shall spend the week cleaning my room entirely. And, and never talk down to me again'. And with that Snape swept out of the office, looking slightly confused at what had just occurred. The rest of the room caught on to what had happened, and Harry and Dumbledore shared a smile of mutual understanding. Dumbledore then turned to the other Professors.  
  
'Minerva, Remus, I need to you start looking into the matter of what it was that caused Draco to fall off his broom, I myself was not present at the match, but I believe you were both in the Gryffindor stand?' Both teachers nodded, professor Lupin looking slightly sheepish at his bias towards a particular house.  
  
'Draco' Dumbledore asked, at last acknowledging the presence of the boy in the hospital bed, 'could you please tell us what you remember.'  
  
'Well, I was chasing after the snitch, and then something smacked me in the head. It could have been a bludger, but it didn't feel big enough. I was falling to the ground, and then I passed out. That about it.' Draco said, rubbing the back of his head gingerly. Hermione rushed forward to take care of her boyfriend.  
  
'Not that much different to all other accounts of what happened' said Dumbledore. 'If that is all, then we shall leave you to it then.'  
  
'Professor' Harry interrupted, 'I caught the snitch, but it wasn't exactly fair was it, perhaps we can have a rematch?' Harry remembered the time that he had fallen off his broom against Cedric, how wretched he felt when the Gryffindors had been denied a rematch. He looked hopefully at the teachers, and his face fell when he saw their expressions.  
  
'I'm sorry Harry,' said Mcgonagall, 'but rules are rules. Congratulations though, the other teams will be hard pressed to catch up with you now.' And the three professors walked away, Lupin turning and smiling at his students before he left. Harry looked back to Draco.  
  
'Sorry Draco, I did try'  
  
'Leave it Harry. You tried, that's what matters' Draco said. Still rather shell shocked from the days events, the group spent a quiet day in the hospital wing, playing wizard chess, exploding snap, and waiting for the next trial that would inevitably cross their path.  
  
Draco left the hospital the next day, to find a surprisingly different attitude towards him across the school. On seeing his critical condition, many had begun to regret their previous anger towards Draco. Several of the girls had gone so far as to confess to secret crushes on him. Phrases such as 'ooh he's so dreamy' and 'he's so mysterious, don't you just love mysterious men?', were now regular features in the conversations of the female population of Hogwarts, much to the irritation of Hermione. Draco now had a fan club to rival Harry, and the two of them were fast becoming the most adored boys in Hogwarts, and in the men's opinion, the most envied. Hermione though, found that Draco's new status did mean that some of the Gryffindors were willing to forgive, though she wasn't altogether happy with the events that had caused this change of heart. Any time that Draco showed any sign of pleasure at all the admiration, it was soon quelled by a furious look from his girlfriend.  
  
Harry, having watched their antics with amusement for the day, dragged himself off to Snapes potions lab at five minutes to eight. He came in to see the potions master sitting at his desk, hunched over some essays and scribbling furiously over some poor second year's work. He looked up, biting back a sneer as he saw Harry walk into the room.  
  
'Well Potter' he barked, trying to keep up the feeling that nothing had changed. 'What are you waiting for? Start with the desks!' And Harry began to work, finishing the desks at around ten at night, after Snape had checked them twice for missed spots.  
  
It was only when Harry was into his third night of detention, that Harry realised that Professor Snape hadn't been here for the first few months of term. He looked over at Snape, who was working out a lesson plan for the next mornings class.  
  
'Professor, what is it that you were doing when you were away? Are you a spy for Dumbledore?'  
  
He said this all very fast, wanting to get it all out before Snape started shouting. To his astonishment, Snape gave him an explanation.  
  
'My job, Potter, is not to spy for Dumbledore. Voldemort is far too clever to fall for that. I go on missions, to try and persuade current death eaters to join our ranks. If they refuse, then I have to put a memory charm on them. It's very dangerous, if Voldemort finds out, he will find and kill me. I think that's all the explanation you need Potter.' He said, turning back to his work as though he had done nothing but tell Harry the time.  
  
'Yes Professor' he said, staring at his potions master with something that vaguely resembled respect. 'Thank you.'  
  
Snape put down his quill, and looked at a spot on the wall for a minute, thinking very hard. And without looking up, he said.  
  
'Leave Potter, and don't bother coming back tomorrow or the next night, I think my lab is clean enough.' And Harry walked past him and out of the lab, shaking his head slightly, a bemused smile on his face. Despite the lengths his teacher went to pretend, there was no hatred anymore.  
  
  
  
The end of term could not come quick enough for the four friends, and come it did. Ginny opted to stay in the castle, looking almost fearful as her brother left her with a cool stare. She and Hermione were the only people left in Gryffindor, with the absence of a ball, and the threat of Voldemort, there had been a rush to get out of the school. The first night of the Christmas holidays, the girls were settling down around the Gryffindor common room fire, after having said goodnight to the boys. Ginny was gazing at the fire absent mindedly, remembering the smile on Harry's face as he had said goodnight. Hermione could almost read the look on her eyes.  
  
'Gin', she said gently, as though approaching a very sore subject. 'Why can't you get over Harry?' Hermione knew of her friend's long standing crush on Harry, and was troubled to see just how much it was bothering her.  
  
'Do you think there's a chance he might feel the same way?' she asked, wondering if Ginny had any idea.  
  
'Probably not' said Ginny, trying to sound non-commital, but her voice pricking with tears.  
  
'Then you have to move on' Hermione said, hating to see her friend in so much pain.  
  
'I can't' Ginny whispered, the tears now flowing down her face.  
  
'Why?' Hermione asked desperately.  
  
Ginny turned towards her, her face caught up in a tragic smile. 'Because, it's not a crush. I love him.' She had never said it out loud before, yet as the words left her mouth, she knew it to be true. Hermione reached forward and hugged her, as Ginny cried silently into her shoulders.  
  
'If you love Harry' she whispered, 'then he is a very lucky boy.' And then Ginny smiled, and the girls went to bed.  
  
  
  
That night, in an ancient manor house, Lord Voldemort was speaking to his servant Wormtail.  
  
'I have been informed, Wormtail, that the Potter boy has shown his powers to the school, when the Malfoy child had an 'accident' on his broom', he laughed, his voice cold and high.  
  
'It would appear, Wormtail, that the way to get to the boy is through those he cares for. I want you to go to the school soon Wormtail, and see what you can do to sort this matter. If you fail, I shall be most displeased. Let me help you to remember that.' And the dark wizard raised his wand, uttering the word 'Crucio', and his servant fell about, screaming before him.  
  
And in Hogwarts school, Ginny Weasley awoke from her sleep, screaming to the night.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine, the characters are Rowling's, and the poem is Kiplings. 


	9. Chapter nine

Chapter nine  
  
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,  
  
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;  
  
R. Kipling  
  
Ginny sat up straight in bed, beads of sweat coursing down her face. She raised a hand to her forehead, wiping away the moisture and tears that were dripping from her skin. She tried blearily to remember what had happened. There had been two people in an old house, a castle maybe. One of them she recognised; he had red, red eyes, a murderous glare. Ginny drew in her breath as she remembered that the man in her dream had been Voldemort. The other man, she had never seen him before. And Voldemort had put the cruciatus curse on him. He had screamed so, that was what had awoken her. Those awful tortured screams.  
  
They had been talking too, and Ginny fought hard to remember what they had been saying. They had been talking about Harry, they were going to hurt someone, like they did her father, or Draco. Ginny leapt out of bed and fled from the tower, making her way to Dumbledores office. She didn't even know if what she'd dreamt had actually been real, she just knew that if she left it too much longer, she'd forget everything. She had heard Harry, Ron and Hermione talking ages ago, about how Harry could see what Voldemort was doing in his dreams. So what the hell was Voldemort doing in her sleep?  
  
Ginny didn't even try to guess the password when she arrived at Dumbledores office, she settled for pounding frantically on the door. She stopped to hear soft footsteps behind the strong oak door, and then the door creaked open to reveal a very tired looking Albus Dumbledore.  
  
His bushy old eyebrows flicked up in surprise when he saw Ginny Weasley standing before him, looking like she had been running a marathon. He opened the door wider, allowing her to step into the winding tower that led up to his own quarters and office. He didn't even bother to ask whether her business was urgent, just by looking at her face, Dumbledore could see that what Ginny had to say couldn't wait. He walked into his office, the young girl following behind him, looking slightly sheepish as she realised that it was three in the morning. As they stepped into the circular room, the candles on the wall flicked immediately into life, sending flickering shadows across the stones, and causing Ginny to feel even more anxious. She looked reassured as Dumbledore sat down behind his desk, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight, and bringing out the bright white in his quivering moustache. He gave her a quick searching stare before leaning forward in his chair to speak.  
  
'So miss Weasley, what brings you to my office at this time of night', he said, his voice lively with laughter, eyes dancing with mischief that in no way reflected his age. Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and started to talk. As she spoke of Voldemort intentions, of his orders for Wormtail to go to Hogwarts and attack someone, the years poured into his blue eyes, and aged him beyond belief. Heart sinking, Ginny looked at her respected headmaster.  
  
'It wasn't a dream, was it Professor?' she asked, not wanting to be disillusioned. Her face was pale, and circles were forming round her eyes.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. 'I'm afraid it wasn't Ginny. Voldemort is clearly planning to hurt Harry further by attacking his friends. This is very bad.' He left it at that, staring at an unknown point in the distance. And Ginny looked at him, trying to figure out just what was going on in that brilliant mind.  
  
'Professor' she said, a question in her voice. 'Who is that other man, the one that's been ordered to attack me? Who is Wormtail?'  
  
Dumbledore met her eyes, wondering whether or not to tell her, whether he should be the one to tell her. He looked into her face, she was pleading with him to let her know, to give her the knowledge that she so desired.  
  
He sighed, and started to explain it to her. 'You know by now Ginny, that Sirius is innocent. What you may not know is just who was responsible for the murders of the Potters. It was Peter Pettigrew, another close friend of James Potter. He betrayed them to Voldemort, and then framed Sirius for murder. Because of Peter Pettigrew, Harry lost both his parents, and a godfather. In the third year, Harry had a chance to have Pettigrew killed, and he let him live, then Peter escaped, and helped to bring about Voldemort's return. Harry has blamed himself for that ever since. The reason that Pettigrew is called Wormtail is because he can turn into a rat. He was actually the pet of your brother, until the third year.' He stopped, letting all that he'd said sink in. it pained him to see that there was hurt in her face, hurt that her closest friends had never trusted her enough to tell her.  
  
A small 'oh' escaped from her mouth. She swallowed, thinking things over carefully. Then she tried to take her mind off the incredible hurt that she was feeling. She changed the subject.  
  
'Why did I have the dream, and not Harry?' and again Dumbledore answered her.  
  
'I've said it before, Ginny, and I will say it again. Love is one of the most powerful forms of magic in existence. I fully believe that your desire to help Harry, built from your love for him.' He paused, seeing the startled expression on her face. 'Yes I'm fully aware of your feelings towards Harry, if only he was! What I was saying, is that your love for him has managed to take all that hatred that is directed at him, and has turned it instead towards yourself. You may have more of these dreams or visions. I'm so sorry Ginny.' He said, not knowing what else to really say.  
  
She looked up at him, a tragic smile on her freckled face. 'Love is most definitely not a many splendoured thing professor, that much I have learnt.'  
  
And Dumbledore felt utterly hopeless as he looked at the red headed girl who was prepared to sacrifice everything, for someone who may not return her feelings. She knew her heart was being gradually broken, but time and time again she picked it up off the floor and offered it to Harry all over again. And there was nothing Dumbledore could do to help her.  
  
'I know this is hard for you Ginny, but I must ask that if you have any more of these visions, you must relate them to me immediately. They will almost certainly be of importance to the order and myself. Thank you so much for everything you have done for us, and especially everything you have done for Harry, whether he knows it or not.'  
  
Ginny got the feeling that now was the time to leave; she rose from her chair, and stepped out of the office after bidding the Professor goodnight. She headed down the staircase, feeling the waves of hurt and pain come crashing down on her. She promised herself not to let the tears fall until she was sure that Dumbledore was out of hearing distance.  
  
But when she exited the tower, she found herself running into the last person she had expected to run into. She stepped back, looking into Harry's emerald eyes as he brushed himself down. Clearly he had been waiting for her. 'Harry!' she squeaked, the tears having been shocked out of her. 'What are you doing here?'  
  
He stepped forward, looking worried. 'I was looking for you Gin, I woke up hearing you screaming in my head. And then I could see you in my mind, running to Dumbledore's office, and I decided to come and wait for you here, and see if you were okay. Draco's well annoyed, I think I woke him up from a dream he was having about Hermione.' Harry stopped laughing however, when he saw Ginny's face. She was stricken.  
  
'Gin, what is it?' he asked, voice gentle with concern. She answered his question, her words dripping with hurt disguised as anger.  
  
'Why did you never tell me Harry? About Peter Pettigrew? I thought you trusted me. I've just taken on your dreams for you, and you couldn't even tell me about that.'  
  
'Ginny, what are you talking about? I thought you knew about Pettigrew. And what is all this about my dreams?' Harry asked, clearly bewildered.  
  
'It was because of that dream spell we did.' Said Ginny, her voice beginning to crack. 'It means that you won't get those visions that you had about Voldemort, when he's feeling angry. Because I get them now, that's why I was screaming, I just had one! Wormtail was told to come and attack someone here to get to you, and then I went to see Dumbledore, and oh Harry, why didn't you tell me?' she said, finally giving way to the terrible tears that were fighting to escape. Harry ran forward and folded her in his arms, letting her head rest on his shoulder, and feeling the fabric of his shirt becoming damp with Ginny's tears.  
  
'I'm so sorry Gin,' he murmured, his words sounding muffled as he spoke into her fiery hair. 'About everything. You are the last person I would wish this upon.' And her sobs began to subside, and he felt her relax slightly into his arms. Two minutes later, he moved his head slightly, to look down at her silent form. She was sleeping, there were streaks of tears running down her cheeks, looking so peaceful, and she was like an angel. Harry lifted her into his arms, and carried her back to the Gryffindor common room. He was awed at her sacrifice. When would people learn to stop sacrificing themselves for him, they just ended up getting hurt. He thought back to what Ginny had said about her dream, about Wormtails orders to attack Hogwarts. He vowed to do everything in his power to protect his friends, to protect the people in the world that mattered most to him.  
  
By the time Harry arrived at the common room, he was exhausted, he lay Ginny gently down on a couch by the fire. Her sleeping face, glistening in the firelight, looked like a work of art. He lent down, and gently kissed the drying tear streak that ran down her face. He then lay down beside the couch, and fell asleep.  
  
Hermione came down the next morning, to see Ginny and Harry both asleep in the common room. She got over her initial surprise, and smiled at the two of them. They looked so cute! Harry was smiling absent mindedly, his hair flopping wildly over his forehead. Ginny was sprawled on the couch, her arm hanging carelessly off its edge. She wasn't smiling, but there was a look of content on her face that Hermione was overjoyed to see. Maybe she was wrong; perhaps Ginny and Harry did have a chance together. She silently crossed the common room, and ran to fetch Draco.  
  
Unfortunately, whilst Hermione was away, Harry and Ginny woke up. Ginny was first to rise, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and blinking furiously in the sunlight that was streaming into the common room. She looked around in surprise, realising that she wasn't in her bedroom. And her lips parted in a giggle as she saw Harry on the floor, waving his arms about and mumbling something about bludgers. He snapped his eyes open at the noise, making Ginny jump in surprise. It took Harry a few moments to remember just where he was, and what had brought him here. He looked up anxiously at Ginny.  
  
'How are you feeling?' he asked, making Ginny feel slightly awkward by the intensity of his stare.  
  
'I'm fine, I mean, I'm not fine, but I'll learn to live with it.' She said, trying to shrug off the new fear she now felt of falling to sleep. Harry got what she was thinking.  
  
'You shouldn't have to live with it!' he said violently, punching a cushion in frustration, 'it's my problem. There must be some way to reverse this!'  
  
'Not according to Dumbledore.' It's alright Harry, I shall just have to cope. It will all be fine.' Ginny said, trying to reassure them both. Harry punched the cushion so hard this time that it exploded, along with several other ones in the nearby vicinity, sending feathers flying everywhere. Ginny ducked to avoid the flying objects, then opened her eyes to see Harry sitting on the common room floor, surrounded by white, with feathers in his hair, and one feather balanced rather precariously on his nose. Ginny broke out into peels of laughter, shattering the tension that had been in the room before. Harry quickly joined in, the laughter of the two causing the stray feathers that were still floating down to earth to flutter round in little circles, carried by the waves of their giggles.  
  
This was where Hermione and Draco entered, glancing in bewilderment at the sight that lay before them. Then they too succumbed to the laughter. The four friends collapsed onto the floor, clutching their stomachs, forgetting everything for one, silly moment, for one chance to be normal kids.  
  
They finally stopped, Hermione hiccoughing furiously, and blushing as she did so. Draco smirked at his girlfriend, before turning to Harry and Ginny.  
  
'So what happened last night?'  
  
Ginny took a deep, steadying breath, and then told them of all that had occurred in the night, from when she had woken up from her nightmare. She didn't tell them what Dumbledore had said about her love for Harry, she just couldn't face telling him, not just yet anyway. When she had finished her account of the night's events, Hermione threw her arms around her friend.  
  
'Ginny, we're so sorry we didn't tell you! It never crossed our minds that you didn't already know!' she said, as Ginny began to look a bit suffocated. Draco stepped in and prised her off the youngest Weasley. He then turned and said brightly to Harry.  
  
'Well, we can add this one to our list of fight skills, definitely. Exploding feathers in Voldies face. If nothing else, it will sure piss him off!'  
  
Harry gave him a death glare, causing a feather to roll again onto his nose. This set the four of them off again, and the sound of laughter rang like bells through Gryffindor tower.  
  
Things were pretty calm from there on, and the holidays passed by pleasantly for the four friends. The days passed in a hail of snowball fights in the Hogwarts grounds, and interesting games of wizard cards, where Draco tried to get away with as much cheating as possible. Hermione always found him out though, and what usually followed was a long and hard fought tickle fight, from which Draco usually emerged victorious.  
  
Christmas day dawned bright and clear, the ice glistening on the castle windows. Harry and Draco made their way up to Gryffindor tower relatively early in the morning, and Harry waited in the common room whilst Draco went upstairs to awaken Hermione. He snuck stealthily into the dormitory that had become her private bedroom over the holidays. He could make out her sleeping form in the farthest four-poster bed, and he crept up silently to her. She was completely unaware of his presence, snoring slightly in her sleep. He watched her, smiling for a moment, before he leaned in and kissed her awake.  
  
A few minutes later, Harry was surprised to hear someone stamping down the stairs. He looked up to see Draco storming across the common room, his face bright red, clashing awfully with his white blond hair. He did not look happy. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but his best friend cut him off.  
  
'Not now Harry!' practically shouted as he stormed out the common room. Hermione appeared a few minutes later, looking tear stricken and still in her nightgown. Harry turned to her for explanation.  
  
'Oh Harry, I'm so stupid. Draco woke me up with a kiss, and I wasn't really thinking right, so I just went with my instinct, and I kind of slapped him.' She said, going bright red with embarrassment. Harry bit back the urge to laugh.  
  
'That's not the worst of it' Hermione continued. 'You see, some mornings, Ron would do the same; he'd come in and wake me up like that. Well like I said, I really wasn't thinking right, and so, I shouted 'Get off me Ron!' and it was just then that I realised who it was.'  
  
'Right' said Harry, 'that wasn't too good a thing to do'. Hermione nodded furiously.  
  
'He just dropped my present on my bed, wished me happy Christmas, and stormed out the room. Harry, what am I going to do?' Hermione wailed the last part. He patted her sympathetically on the shoulder.  
  
'Look Herm, he'll be all right, he just needs time to cool off. Give me a minute to see if he's all right.' Hermione sniffed and nodded, and Harry spoke with his mind.  
  
Draco, you all right?  
  
There was nothing for a moment, then a reply. Yeah, I'll be fine, just give me some time. Harry agreed with him in his head, and turned back to Hermione.  
  
'He's all right. Why don't you go get dressed? Then we can get some presents opened.' Hermione nodded again and slowly went up the stairs. Harry sat alone in the common room for a moment. Before Ginny's voice rang in his head.  
  
Is it safe to come down yet?  
  
Despite the absence of Draco, Christmas had been a fairly pleasant affair. Harry was relatively pleased with his presents. Hagrid had given him a box of some rather suspicious looking sweets, which Harry was rather wary of trying. Fred and George had given him a bag of their own homegrown jokes. Hermione had given him what he felt was her best book yet. 'Fake your way through Divination; 1001 false predictions'. She handed the present over looking rather pleased with herself. 'I got it from Zonkos' she said proudly. Sirius and Remus had burst into the common room that morning to wish them all merry Christmas and to give them their presents. The two had clubbed together to buy Harry a mini-quidditch set, with flying team figures that you could set up to play against each other. He ignored the rolling of eyes from Hermione as he oohed and ahhed at the tiny little seeker, setting out after the miniscule snitch. Sirius and Remus nudged each other, pleased that Harry had like their present.  
  
He had taken Ginny aside to give her her gift. He'd made it over the last few days, after some careful research in the library. Ginny gave him a small package, with a green bow wrapped around it. He unwrapped it to find his very own golden snitch, carved with his initials. He grinned up into Ginny's reddening face.  
  
'I didn't know what to get you, and this seemed like the best thing.' She mumbled.  
  
'It's great Gin, thanks!' and he then gave her a rather clumsily wrapped package, feeling rather flustered himself, he'd never felt this nervous about giving someone a gift before.  
  
'Erm, I made it for you, dunno if it'll work or not…' he trailed off, watching her face as she unwrapped a wonderfully coloured dream catcher that he had so carefully made.  
  
'Oh Harry, thank you!' she said, her eyes lighting up at the thought of him putting so much effort into her gift.  
  
'I just wanted to see if I could help in some way, I mean, it's my fault..' and Ginny silenced him by putting a finger on his lips. Then, seeming to realise what she'd done, she quickly took it back.  
  
'It's all right' she said faintly, aware of the unbelievably fast beating of her heart. At this point, Sirius coming and fetching them for dinner interrupted them. Despite the small numbers, it was the same old grand affair as usual. Christmas trees were strewn across the room. There were lights everywhere, and carols being sung by the armour. Talk at the table was fairly simple. Hermione was rather quiet, and Harry put this down to the fact that Draco had not yet returned. He leaned across the table and asked Sirius if he could have a word with him. The two of them excused themselves quietly and left the hall.  
  
Once they were outside, Harry started to speak.  
  
'First of all Sirius, I'd really like to thank you.' Sirius' face split open into a grin.  
  
'We hoped you like the present Harry, Remus and me, we…' but Harry cut him off by shaking his head.  
  
'No, I didn't just mean about the present, I mean thank you, for being there for me this year. When I've been in trouble or something.' Sirius nodded, looking pleased.  
  
'It's no problem Harry, I feel that I've got twelve years to make up for as a Godfather, plus the last summer, I'll do anything to help.'  
  
'That's good to know Sirius, but there's another thing I have to talk to you about too. I'm worried about Draco.'  
  
This startled Sirius, because he didn't believe that he was the best person to talk to as far as Draco Malfoy was concerned.  
  
'What about him Harry?'  
  
'He had a fight with Hermione this morning, and he's been missing ever since. It's not just the fight that I think is bothering him.'  
  
Sirius looked to his Godson for explanation.  
  
'Well Christmas at Hogwarts has always been such a great time for me, it's been the time that I've remembered that I now have people who care about me. But this year, I think Christmas may remind Draco that the people that did care for him, no longer do. Do you get what I mean?'  
  
'Are you talking about his parents?' Sirius asked, trying to understand what his godson was talking about.  
  
I mean I'm sure they're probably angry with him, but it's not just them. It's different for me and Draco you see. When I came to Hogwarts, I came with nothing to lose; Draco came having just given up everything. Most the Slytherins hate him, as do all his friends from outside of school. As an orphan, I just excepted that a very bad man took my family away from me, Draco has to accept that he gave his family up willingly.'  
  
And Sirius nodded, understanding, and for the first time in his life, seeing courage in a Malfoy.  
  
'Why are you telling me this Harry?' Sirius asked.  
  
'Well when I realised that you were my godfather, and that you really did care about me, it took away some of the pain of not having a family. I said that you've been there for me, and I was wondering if you could try to be there for Draco too.' Harry finished, looking down at his feet, and then he continued.  
  
'He saved me you know, him and Hermione and Ginny.' Harry said. 'I'm sure you know about the spell that they did, but you don't know what they actually did for me. Hermione did the incantation; she was the one to exorcise Voldemort. Ginny persuaded me to fight, and now she has those nightmares instead of me. And Draco, he used the bond that we have to take some of the pain away from me, and to direct it onto himself. They saved me Sirius.' He finished simply.  
  
Sirius looked stunned for a moment, it was such a strange request. And yet somehow, he didn't have to hesitate to answer.  
  
'Of course I will Harry.' And with a grateful smile, Harry disappeared down the corridor to look for Draco. And Sirius stood alone, quite unsure of what to think.  
  
Harry had no idea where Draco was. He didn't want to ask him in his head, in case his friend told him to leave him alone. He searched the castle thoroughly, and then headed out into the grounds. He entered the quidditch pitch, and looked around to see a blond haired boy sitting in the stand, silhouetted in the dying winter sunlight, and looking more alone than Harry had ever seen him. He climbed the stands, making his way towards him. Draco saw Harry approaching, but made no effort to move.  
  
'Hey' was all he said once Harry had sat down beside him.  
  
'Hey' Harry replied. 'Well if you wanted to get out of Christmas, well done, you've pretty much avoided it.' Draco managed a weak smile.  
  
'I had things to think about.' He said, gazing off across the pitch. He handed Harry a crumpled piece of parchment.  
  
'I got this just after I left the tower.' He said, as Harry read the letter.  
  
Draco,  
  
Don't think you have any right to call yourself a Malfoy. You have disgraced your family, and you have broken your mother's heart. No more. We have disowned you. We will have other heirs, none as disappointing as yourself. You will never hear from us again. Merry Christmas.  
  
Lucius Malfoy, Minister for Magic  
  
Harry handed the letter back to Draco, not knowing what to say to that. He was disgusted at the Malfoys; he truly wondered if they'd ever really cared for Draco. He remembered in his second year, seeing Draco and his father in Diagon Alley, both looking at him with identical smirks on their faces. He knew now, that Lucius Malfoy must have spent his life trying to mould his son and heir into a replica of himself. Now it had gone wrong, he must feel like it was back to the drawing board.  
  
It was a horrible thought, and one that was disturbing to Harry. His parents would never get to know him, but Draco's parents didn't want to know him.  
  
His best friend spoke, his voice sounding soft, full of rejection, but with a deep pride running through it. He would not give in to them, that was not in his nature.  
  
'It's not like I didn't see this coming, I mean; I knew that after the summer they wouldn't want to know me. But it just kind of hurts, to read it in writing.'  
  
'Written confirmation' Harry agreed, making Draco laugh, sounding hollow and empty.  
  
He shook his head. 'These are my parents Harry, my family. I spent my life with them, and now I have nothing.'  
  
This time Harry disagreed. 'No, you're wrong there. I used to think that, but now I know better. We don't have parents anymore Draco, we have to start over. And we have, we do have a family now. It may be different to the one that you once had, but this is our family now, and we have to make the best from that. You have Hermione, Ginny, and me. We're your friends, and we will always be there for you. I think that's as good a family as any.'  
  
Draco nodded, willing himself to believe him. And Harry continued.  
  
'We're very much alike; you and I, we both rely on people who aren't our flesh and blood to accept us. And we're also lucky, because there is group of people up there who have done just that. I think it's worth fighting Voldemort, just to repay them for that, don't you.' Draco nodded again.  
  
'Besides,' said Harry, 'you have a brother now' he smiled at Draco, and they rose, both standing silent in mutual understanding. They were the brothers of the legacy.  
  
'Right then, lets get back to that family.'  
  
Harry started to head back to the castle, and Draco stayed only a moment before following him.  
  
The two boys entered Gryffindor tower, to find Ginny, Hermione, Sirius and Remus waiting for them. Draco didn't really see them though, being that Hermione had launched herself at him the moment he had entered through the portrait. She flung her arms around him, almost strangling him.  
  
'Draco, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was saying, please forgive me!'  
  
Draco had actually forgotten about their fight that morning, so he put reassuring arms around his girlfriend, and kissed her on the nose, causing a nervous giggle to escape from her mouth.  
  
'Have you opened your present yet?' he asked, as Hermione shook her head, and took out a small, silver wrapped package from her pocket. She unwrapped it carefully, and took out a box, from which she lifted out a beautiful silver necklace, glistening brightly in the night. In the stone that hung from the chain, she could see her reflection on one side, and Draco's on the other.  
  
'It's a wizard locket,' she breathed, whilst Draco waited anxiously for her verdict. She turned to him, and gave him a kiss that made the others in the common room turn away very quickly.  
  
'It's wonderful' she sighed into his hair, and then she leaned in to kiss him again, only then noticing the noises that Harry and Ginny were making. She gave them death glares.  
  
'Maybe we should go for a walk,' she said, frowning once more at the pair of them before she took Draco's hand and led him out the tower.  
  
'So' said Ginny, looking at the three left in tower. 'Had a good Christmas?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Harry, smiling at her, and making her heart melt. Behind him, Sirius and Remus nodded, both looking the happiest that she had ever seen them.  
  
'Right then,' Harry said, reaching for his mini-quidditch set. 'Who wants to give this a try?'  
  
He set up the game on a table by the fire, and the other three came to join him, already thinking up rude names for the players.  
  
Draco and Hermione came back after about half an hour of making up. They opened the portrait to the cries of 'Yes! My beater knocked out Snape!' they walked in and found Harry, Ginny, Sirius and Remus engaged in a rather violent game of mini-quidditch. Hermione rolled her eyes, and started up to her dormitory.  
  
'I won't ask' she said, laughing at the sight of the two grown men, one of whom was a Professor, crowing over a tiny figure that was lying on the pitch, holding his arm and wincing. Hermione assumed it was a boy thing. She went up to her room to get a book, determined not to join in the game. She came back down a few minutes later, with the book that Harry had given her in her arms, she giggled slightly as she read the title. 'Class wide domination; how to beat the other brain boxes!' she settled in an armchair in the corner, blowing a kiss to Draco before she began to read.  
  
Over in the other part of the common room, Draco rose and pulled Harry aside.  
  
'Harry, you like Ginny don't you?' He said, smiling as he looked around the common room, where Ginny's team were shamelessly beating Sirius's.  
  
'What?' Harry whispered, startled by the question.  
  
You heard me, came Draco's voice, ringing with amusement in his head.  
  
Of course I like her, everyone likes her. Harry thought lightly, trying to avoid the question.  
  
That's not what I was asking, and you know it.  
  
Harry thought for a moment. To be honest Draco, I just don't know. It's such a different feeling to when I saw Cho, though I'd like to put that crush down to hormones! I just don't know about Ginny, it's kind of confusing.  
  
Draco looked at Harry; his cheeks had gone tomato red. He smirked.  
  
Sure Harry, whatever you say. He thought, laughing even in his head. Then he spoke out loud.  
  
'You were right about what you said earlier.' He said, looking again around the common room, to the manic quidditch game between Ginny and Sirius, to Professor Lupin aiming his wand at Sirius's back, clearly to shoot some sort of hex at him, and then over to Hermione, bent over her book in concentration, unaware of the chaos in the rest of the room. Then he looked back at Harry, who was as much of a brother as he was ever going to have.  
  
'I do have a family here, and a damn good one at that!' he said, laughing as Remus fired his well-aimed hex, causing Sirius to sprout rather fetching bat ears. The two boys went over to participate in the sudden hex fight that was now taking place.  
  
And the rat that had been listening in behind them smiled to himself, and scurried out of the tower, beginning to make plans.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine, the characters are Rowling's, and the poem is Kipling's.  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: I really hope I got this bit right, and that I haven't put somewhere earlier that Ginny knows about Wormtail. If that has happened, do tell me so I can go to that chapter and fix it. Oh yeah, the reason Harry and Draco can get into the common room is because Harry is quidditch captain, so he gets to know the password. Well, till next chapter then! PLEASE REVIEW!! 


	10. Chapter ten

Chapter Ten  
  
If you can make one heap of all your winnings  
  
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,  
  
R. Kipling  
  
By Harry's standards, things were pretty normal after the Christmas holidays came to an end. Voldemort had yet to make another appearance, in or out of Ginny's dreams. In fact, the only real disturbance in Harry's life came at breakfast one morning in early February, about a week before the quidditch final between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Harry was dreading the match, the first time he was to face Cho since Cedric had died. He'd managed to forget about her so far, managed to look away when she gave him those pained, accusing looks in the corridor.  
  
But in this particular morning, Dumbledore made an announcement that diverted Harry's attention away from the upcoming game. He and Draco had ventured up to the great hall for breakfast this morning, both were sitting at the Gryffindor table. The boys were giving Draco suspicious stares, and the girls were eyeing Draco and Harry in a rather different way, much to Hermione and Ginny's annoyance. Hermione finally lost her temper at Parvati and Lavender, who were offering pieces of toast to Draco. She waited until they had turned away, before summoning a spider that had been crawling down the wall, and sending it flying onto Lavender's nose. The screams that followed were enough to blow off the enchanted ceiling of the great hall, as Lavender struggled to remove the spider, eventually throwing it onto Parvati, whose reaction was just as violent.  
  
When the chaos had finally subsided, and Hermione had removed the guilty flush from her face, Dumbledore cleared his throat, and called for the hall to fall silent. The students looked up from their food to listen to the headmaster.  
  
'Ahem, I have excellent news for you all' he said, and the hall fell silent, wondering what Dumbledore could possibly be on about.  
  
'Being that most of you were away this Christmas' Dumbledore started, he didn't need to add anymore, everyone in the school was well aware of what had kept them at home for the winter's holiday. An ominous silence swept over Hogwarts. Dumbledore cleared his throat. 'Yes well, to make up for the absence of the students at Christmas time, I and the rest of the staff have decided to organise a ball, for valentines day. It will be open to all students, so have fun, and good luck finding a partner!' and with that Dumbledore sat back down and was drowned out by the excited, mainly female, voices that were now echoing through the hall. Harry was slightly worried to note that at Dumbledore's announcement, several faces had turned in his direction. Next to him, Ginny was fuming.  
  
'So', Hermione said, smiling as she faced Draco. 'It's going to be hard to find a date for this ball, whatever am I going to do?' she sighed and put her hand to her forehead dramatically. Draco leaned in and licked his lips.  
  
'Well my lady' he said, laughing softly. 'I might just be able to help you out there.' Their lips locked, stoppings only when harry flicked bacon into Draco's hair. What then followed was a food fight to rival those started by the marauders themselves, the four friends in the thick of it, Harry laughing the loudest of them all.  
  
And it started, almost immediately after they left the hall. The floodgates opened, and a tide of teenage girls swept over Harry Potter. They were everywhere he went. When he was at quidditch practice, when he was going to lessons, when he was in lessons. Harry was convinced that they had memorised his timetable, and it was getting really irritating, so much so that the last poor girl to ask Harry to the ball found herself with a carrot for a nose. By the time she came out the hospital wing, she was so traumatised she had had to spend the rest of the week in her dormitory. Harry hadn't meant to snap, but he hated attention of this kind. Draco of course found it all very funny, and Hermione couldn't help but smirk as she watched Harry's attempts to avoid the hormone driven girls.  
  
The gossip of the school was of course whom Harry was going to take to the Valentines Day ball. So far he had been paired up with the head girl, a hufflepuff prefect, Angelina (much to Fred's annoyance), and a couple of ravenclaws whose names he couldn't even remember. Things hadn't been helped by the appearance of the second Daily Prophet article about Harry to appear this school year.  
  
WHO'S IT GOING TO BE?  
  
All of Hogwarts School is at the moment caught up in a frenzy over who Harry Potter, their celebrity pupil, is going to take to the Valentines ball. This will not be the first time that Harry has taken a lucky young girl out for the evening. Last year Hogwarts student Parvati Patil accompanied Mr. Potter to the Yule Ball, held in honour of the Triwizard Tournament, a contest that Harry later won. Miss Patil states; 'it was so wonderful going with Harry last year, he's ever so good looking, and a great dancer, plus he's dead brainy now too. What more could a girl want?' indeed Miss. Patil, and I'm sure that all the girls of Hogwarts agree with you there. Take your pick Harry!  
  
Harry's jaw dropped as he read the paper in charms. Fleur noticed him and sidled over to the table, ordering him playfully to put the paper down. She giggled as she walked away, and Draco looked over.  
  
Is it me, or is she eyeing you up. He thought at his friend. Across the room, Parvati looked at Harry and winked, giggling with Lavender. Harry leant back in his chair and groaned. Draco patted him on the shoulder sympathetically.  
  
Harry had never been so glad for a lesson to end. Unfortunately Parvati and Lavender headed him off at the door, eager to establish the daily rumour.  
  
'So Harry' Lavender said, trying to smile seductively as she backed Harry into the wall. 'I saw Susan Bones smiling at you this morning, she's awfully nice isn't she?' Lavender asked, fluttering her eyelashes furiously. Behind her, Draco snorted, but was then nudged in the ribs by Parvati, though quite flirtatiously. Even though Draco was taken, it didn't stop her.  
  
'To be honest Lavender' Harry mumbled, trying to find an escape route. 'I don't really know her.' This was not enough to satisfy Lavender, she leant forward even further, bringing bright splotches of red to Harry's face.  
  
'What about me Harry?' she said, her voice low. 'You know me pretty well'. Harry gulped.  
  
He was saved from answering by someone calling his name from up the corridor. He looked behind Lavender to see Ginny standing by the staircase. Her arms were folded across her chest. She was not looking too happy.  
  
'Right!' Harry exclaimed, a little louder than he had indented to say. 'Quidditch practise, got to go!' and he ducked under Lavenders arms and followed Ginny down the stairs.  
  
'But Harry, it's only lunch!' Lavender called after him. She turned to Parvati. 'Oooh, he so likes me!'  
  
Those girls are a lost cause. Draco thought.  
  
  
  
'Thank you so much Ginny,' Harry said, as soon as they were out of earshot. Ginny turned to him, exasperated.  
  
'Just pick someone to go with Harry, then they'll stop following you round!' she gestured to a group of sixth years who immediately turned away, trying to pretend that they regularly gathered round the statue of a one legged warlock.  
  
'That's just it, I know what to do now!' Harry said, catching up to her after rolling his eyes at the swooning girls. 'Ginny, will you go to the ball with me?'  
  
Ginny stopped in her tracks, her heartbeat coming to a standstill. She whirled round to face Harry, trying to judge whether he was joking.  
  
'Do you mean it?' she squeaked.  
  
'Sure, we'll have a great time!' Harry said cheerfully. Ginny could do nothing else but nod, she was going to a Valentines Day ball with Harry Potter! She walked off on cloud nine, a dreamy smile on her face. Harry turned and announced to the corridor.  
  
'Let it be known that open season on Harry Potter is now, well, closed. I am taking Ginny Weasley to the ball!'  
  
Unfortunately, he said this just as Ron was rounding the corner. He took one look at his old friend's face, and made a speedy retreat down the hallway, Ron glaring after him all the while.  
  
  
  
By the time Hermione saw Ginny, the news of her and Harry going to the ball was already public news, spreading through the school like wildfire after Harry's announcement. Hermione ran up to her friend.  
  
'Ginny!' she squealed. 'I'm so pleased for you, the whole school's talking about it, what are you going to where??' she exclaimed, before pausing for breath. Ginny smiled, her wide grin reflecting Hermione's excitement.  
  
'I'm going to tell him Hermione' she said, her eyes glowing. 'On the night of the ball, I'm going to tell him that I love him.'  
  
And Hermione hugged her friend, hoping that it was all going to turn out right for her.  
  
  
  
Harry asking Ginny to go to the ball with him did calm down the hoards of girls, which was a great relief for him. Ron's glares had become slightly more menacing, but apart from some lighthearted teasing, the rest of the Weasley's had been fairly happy about him taking Ginny to the Ball. Now he just had to worry about the quidditch final, which was to take place that Saturday. This was it, his chance to win the cup as captain of his team, but he also had to face Cho. The night before the match, Harry was tossing and turning in his bed, prompting Draco to put a pillow over his head so he didn't have to listen to Harry arguing with himself.  
  
A thick layer of mist that covered the castle and grounds greeted the morning of the match. It had mostly gone by the time the teams made their way to the stadium, with only a few wisps left hanging in the air. Harry and his team made it through the throngs of well wishers, most of the girls glaring at Ginny as she passed. She was too happy to care.  
  
The atmosphere in the changing room was one of great anticipation. The Gryffindor team had a great deal of belief in themselves this year, and Harry hoped that that would be enough to get them the cup. He didn't care about Cho; he could handle her, for his team. The player made their way out onto the pitch amidst wild cheers, and boos from the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Hufflepuff were fairly neutral, but Gryffindor was causing enough noise to drown out both houses. Harry finally saw Cho as the players lined up against each other. She looked like she hadn't had any sleep, and her eyes were narrowed as she looked in Harry's direction. He didn't really care; it just wasn't worth bothering about anymore. And, in what seemed like a few seconds, Madame Hooch had blown the whistle, and the quidditch final had begun.  
  
It was the strangest game anyone could remember watching. For after twenty-five seconds, the game was over, and Gryffindor had won. As the players had risen into the air, the snitch had darted straight in front of Harry's face, and without thinking about it, he had reached out a hand and caught it, before the quaffle had even been passed to the chasers. Most people had to be convinced that the game had in fact ended, and Lee Jordan was convinced it was some sort of record.  
  
But Harry felt bad. He hadn't meant to catch the snitch at that point; he had wanted more of a final, both for the team, and for the spectators. He landed on the ground and faced the team, feeling a little bit sheepish. He needn't have worried, for most the team ran over to him and wrapped him in a celebratory hug, caught up in the euphoria of winning the cup.  
  
'Bloody hell Harry! That was some catch!' Fred and George chorused as they slapped their captain on the back. The rest of the house was currently streaming onto the pitch, yelling their congratulations. But then a far more hostile voice echoed through the stadium.  
  
'CHEAT!' someone screamed, cutting through the crowd like a knife.  
  
The pupils parted, revealing Cho standing in the centre, her cheeks hot with fury. She moved forward, pointing an accusing finger at Harry, who moved from the hugs of his team to face her, his face defiant.  
  
'What was that Cho?' he asked.  
  
'You cheated, you must have done, because nobody catches the snitch that quickly!' Cho screeched, looking wild, almost crazed.  
  
'And how did I cheat?' Harry asked again, folding his arms across his chest, behind him, Draco and Hermione arrived with Professor Lupin behind them, but Harry mentally ordered them to stay out of it. He kept his face passive.  
  
'How am I supposed to know how you cheated?' Cho exclaimed. 'All I know is that you robbed me and my house of the cup!' She seemed utterly beyond reason. Harry stepped slightly closer to her, and people backed away in fear, worried that he was going to lose control again. But Harry stayed calm.  
  
'Let's not pretend that this is about the game Cho; let's get this over with. You still blame me for Cedric's death don't you?' Harry said calmly, drawing out gasps from the crowd at his bluntness.  
  
'You know that there was nothing I could do, don't you?' he asked softly, watching her angry face carefully. Cho said nothing for a moment, breathing heavily.  
  
'I think you do know that' Harry whispered, 'and I think you blame me, because I can't bring him back.' Nobody other than Cho heard, but it was enough to break her. Her face shattered and crumpled, and she fell forward, collapsing into Harry's arms with heaving sobs.  
  
'I want him, to, to come back, why wasn't he the boy who lived?' she choked in between her gasps. Harry held her until she could cry no more, and several of the members of the crowd found themselves wiping tears from their own eyes. He whispered words in her ear that nobody else could hear, and when she backed away, there was a ghost of a smile on her face.  
  
'Thank you, Harry.' She said softly, and like the calm after a storm, she made her way back up to the school, leaving those behind her in stunned silence.  
  
The handing out of the quidditch cup just didn't seem that important anymore, everyone was trying to work out what had just happened. Still, they clapped and applauded as the Gryffindor team held the cup aloft. And half an hour after they had come down to the stadium, the students found themselves going back up, feeling much more bewildered than they had done when they came down.  
  
Fortunately for Harry, there wasn't much gossip about what had happened on the quidditch pitch. Most people just came up and congratulated him on winning the cup for his team. Lee was in fact right; it was definitely one of the fastest catches, at least in Hogwarts history. The lack of gossip about Cho and he was mainly due to the excitement about the upcoming Valentines Ball. Draco had been desperately seeking advice on what to buy Hermione as a gift for Valentines Day, consulting everyone from Harry to Professor Lupin. Hermione had in fact pulled Harry aside a few days earlier.  
  
'Look Harry, I was wondering if you could give Draco some advice on what to get me for Valentines Day.'  
  
'Erm, Hermione,' Harry said, 'won't that mean that your gift won't be a surprise?'  
  
'Not if he doesn't find out about it.' Hermione had said matter-of- factly. 'And he won't find out if you don't tell him that it was my idea' she said, clearly telling Harry what her plan was. He rolled his eyes, and listened to what Hermione had suggested.  
  
  
  
'A flower?' Draco said disbelievingly. 'You think I should get her a flower?' Harry nodded, unsure of how to convince him without telling him about Hermione's order.  
  
'Yes Draco, I think you should get her a flower. It would be really simple, but nice, you could get her an enchanted one, one that never wilts.' Harry sighed in relief, as Draco seemed to consider the thought.  
  
'Well' he said doubtfully, 'I suppose it is the best idea.' And Harry grinned to himself as his best friend turned away.  
  
  
  
The night of the ball couldn't have come quickly enough for Ginny, she had bought the dress especially, with all her the money in her first Gringotts bank account. It was wonderful, as she put it on; she smiled, feeling the emerald velvet against her skin. She looked in the mirror, her hair caught up on her head; a few curls escaping down the side of her face. She knew she looked lovely tonight, she just hoped that Harry noticed. Tonight was the night to tell him, Ginny thought determinedly as she made her way to the hall where she and Hermione were meeting Draco and Harry, tonight she was going to tell Harry Potter that she was in love with him.  
  
The night of the ball couldn't have come quickly enough for Peter Pettigrew. His master was getting more and more irritable, and this was his last chance to attack Hogwarts, before his life was to be in danger. He transformed into a rat and made his way towards the forest. One of the death eaters should have dropped off something rather useful for him in there.  
  
The ball was going so well; Ginny thought happily as she danced with Harry, barely even noticing that he kept treading on her feet. Across the hall, she could she Hermione and Draco dancing happily together, Hermione with the flower that Draco had given her placed firmly in her hair. Ginny smirked to herself, she knew that her friend had wanted one of those flowers ever since she had read about it in a wizard romance book, though she had no idea how she had got Draco to get her one. She looked up into Harry's face, looking so concentrated as he tried to keep in time with the music, the emerald of his eyes burning into her face. She knew now that it was time. She tugged on Harry's hands and asked him mentally if they could go outside. Harry went eagerly, thankful to get away from the dancing. Ginny let him out into the grounds, and Harry followed, wondering what she could possibly want to talk about.  
  
'So Gin,' he asked, his voice gentle, 'what are we doing out here?'  
  
Ginny leant forward, so nervous, yet determined to get this over with. She put her hand gently on Harry's and looked into his face, forcing herself to begin.  
  
'Well Harry, there's something I'd like to tell you. I've wanted to tell you for so long now, but I've been so afraid, I couldn't bear to hear you say that you didn't feel the same, but you see Harry, I, I, I'm in love with you.' And she stopped there, looking into his deep green eyes, looking for some kind of happiness at hearing her words. But she saw only shock there, complete numbness. And in that second her heart broke completely.  
  
She rose. 'Of course, I should have known you didn't feel the same, but I thought, when you asked me to the ball, I thought there was a chance that you might like me just as much, maybe even love me. But you probably just asked me so those girls would stop pestering you. Silly me eh?' she said, wanting so much to get away before she started to cry. She tried to tell herself this wasn't happy, and then she asked out of desperation.  
  
'There is no way that you could feel the same Harry, if you did, then we could, we could be together.' Harry was still looking shocked, and Ginny snapped.  
  
'But if you're just going to sit there gaping like a goldfish, I think I have my answer.' She cried, trying to run as fast as she could before she had to collapse from the tears.  
  
It was a good few seconds before Harry snapped into action, he rose quickly from the seat and ran after her, shouting her name. Then he heard a scream that made his heart stop beating.  
  
He rounded the corner, and looked around, there was still screaming, but there was no one there. Then he looked above, and froze in terror and fury.  
  
Because Ginny was now atop of a flying horse, having just been knocked unconscious by Peter Pettigrew.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Nothing is mine, the characters are Rowling's, and the poem is Kipling's. 


	11. Chapter eleven

Chapter 11  
  
And lose, and start again at your beginnings  
  
And never breathe a word about your loss;  
  
R. Kipling  
  
Harry stood frozen, only for a moment; as he watched one of the men he hated most in his world begin to fly away with Ginny. He had no real idea of what had just happened between them, or just how Pettigrew had managed to get onto the grounds, but he knew one thing. He was not going to let Voldemort get her; he had to do something to stop it.  
  
Above him, in the air, Peter Pettigrew surveyed the ground below him. Harry looked angry as hell, but he didn't feel too threatened. Sure the boy was powerful, but what could he do. From the entrance of the castle, he saw people beginning to pour out. Clearly somebody had heard the screams, or seen him at the window. Oh well, he'd be gone soon. Down on the ground, he picked out the faces of Remus and Sirius. Sirius hadn't even bothered to disguise himself; it was very reckless of him. But then, Sirius had always been reckless. Reckless, and stupid. Peter allowed himself a smirk at his two former friends. He was the most powerful of them all now. He was at the right hand of lord Voldemort himself. James the perfect was dead, Sirius the joker had spent years and years in Azkaban, and Remus was the outcast that he always should have been. He, Peter, had risen above them all, and was a servant of Voldemort. He couldn't help but feel a little triumphant.  
  
Ginny was still squirming in his arms, and on the ground, Dumbledore looked like he was going to do something. Pettigrew had to get away fast. He aimed his wand at the struggling girl, and muttered a few well-chosen words. Cords wrapped themselves tightly around her limbs and mouth, making her eyes bulge in pain. Pettigrew smirked again. He watched Dumbledore carefully, and reared the animal he was riding on. In reality, he should have been watching Harry and Draco.  
  
Harry was still standing on the lawn, trying to think of a way in which to get Ginny down from the horse without hurting her, whilst causing as much damage to Pettigrew as he possibly could. He heard a loud rumble from behind him, as bodies began to spill from the castle onto the grounds, most of them still in their dress robes. He turned around and saw Draco and Hermione standing behind him. Harry couldn't speak; he had a lump of hate formed in his throat. He merely pointed up to the flying horse, so that his two friends could see what was happening on top of it. They looked up to see Ginny tense, as if in pain, and fall limply back down onto the back of the beast.  
  
'We have to stop him' Draco said, his pale eyebrows forming a hard line across his face. He looked towards Harry, and their eyes met in an intense stare.  
  
Do you want to try it? He asked him. There was fury sparkling in the depths of Harry's emerald eyes as he answered.  
  
Lets do it.  
  
The two of them left Hermione standing alone and stepped forward, so they were separated from the crowd of onlookers. Both of them raised their hands, their eyes locked, and a bright white light began to form between them. The light grew brighter, and more intense, as the boys focused all their anger, all their power into that energy. And the sky above them grew dark, as Peter looked around him in bewilderment. Clouds began to form over the castle, and lightning pierced the sky. But Harry and Draco did not stop, and the lightning headed for the horse, and Pettigrew. He whipped the animal, making it rear and just dodge the flash of electricity. But the boys continued, and the bolts carried on aiming for the man astride the horse.  
  
The spectators on the ground began to realise that something out of the ordinary was going on, and they finally looked down on the ground to notice Draco and Harry, and they were almost as shocked to see them doing the spell, as they were by the sight in the sky.  
  
Pettigrew dodged another bolt, and then decided to make a break from it. He turned around in mid air, and prepared to go as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough. He wheeled to face a charge of electricity coming straight at him; he had no hope of dodging it. The bolt struck with ferocity, and the horse cried out in pain, both people on it were thrown from its back, and began their descent to earth, the fallen steed close behind him.  
  
Members of the crowd shrieked as they recognised Ginny's falling body. Draco and Harry broke the spell immediately, and Harry raced forward, raising his hand. Ginny was slowed immediately, but not quite enough. She hit the ground with a dull thud, and lay very still on the ground, with Pettigrew and the animal strewn around her, like victims of a bloody battle. Time stopped as Harry ran towards her, and the world waited as he cradled her in his arms, stroking her shiny face. She was so still. He tenderly removed the horrible bounds from her, and she became limp, like a rag doll. He fought to control his emotions as he looked at the expression of pain that crossed her delicate features. She loved him, she had always loved him, and he had rejected her. All because he couldn't find the right words to say that he loved her back. Because he knew now, he was in love with Ginny Weasley. He loved the way she was so kind, so noble, and so selfless. He loved the way her hair would catch the sunlight, and glow warmly by the fireside. He loved the way she was so beautiful, without even knowing it. And he would not lose her now.  
  
He swept her up into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather, and carried her up to the castle, the crowds parting for them as they moved through. Draco and Hermione followed close behind, and in turn, were followed by a procession of Weasley's, the red heads disappearing up the steps and vanishing from sight.  
  
The crowd took in one collective breath, and then began to take action. Sirius and Remus ran towards Pettigrew, each holding up their wands to restrain him if he were still conscious. He was, he had performed a spell to break his own fall. Peter had never been that good at magic, except when it came to saving himself. He was looking around him with a glazed expression on his face. He gained control of his senses, only to look up into the two faces that he least wanted to see.  
  
'Sirius,' he said softly, 'Remus'. He knew it would do no good to beg this time, that he was too weak. He would have to rely on some greater power, to save himself from the murderous glares of his former friends. And funnily enough, a greater power did come forward to speak for him, stopping the other two men just as they were raising their wands. To Peter's surprise, the man was Albus Dumbledore. He strode between them, and spoke authoritatively.  
  
'Both of you, lower your wands, you must understand how important it is that you do not kill Peter.' The two men looked at him, disbelief etched across their faces.  
  
'Sirius, don't you see, that Peter is your key to freedom?' Dumbledore reminded him.  
  
'But Dumbledore, the ministry won't do anything about it, don't you remember? Lucius Malfoy is in charge. He won't send a death eater to Azkaban.' Remus asked, trying to find a reason for Dumbledore to let them exact their revenge.  
  
'I think you're wrong their Remus.' Dumbledore said. He looked down into Peter's face, and the powerful anger that he was known for again surged to the surface. 'Peter here has failed Voldemort, and I feel that he was probably here on the threat of punishment. I think that Voldemort would have no real problem with sending him to Azkaban.' He spoke with ice in his voice.  
  
'Now I must ask you both to escort, Wormtail here up to the west tower, we he can be held until the ministry comes to collect him.' and he then summoned a stretcher, onto which Pettigrew was strapped, still too weak to put up any sort of fight. Remus levitated it with his wand, and the two started to make their way to the tower, when someone caught up with them. They turned around to see Severus Snape in front of them, an unreadable expression on his face.  
  
'I'm coming with you' he said, sounding slightly out of breath. 'I want to watch him until they come for him.'  
  
Sirius looked about ready to snap, but Remus held his hand up to stop him, and gave Snape a long hard look.  
  
'All right,' he said finally, as Sirius snorted. The three of them then walked awkwardly away.  
  
Whilst all that was going on, a large portion of the people on the lawn had gone to gather round the horse like creature that Pettigrew had been riding. Dumbledore, having watched his former students go, made his way towards it, the people moving aside to let him through. What he saw on the ground made him shiver to the core. In the centre of all the people, was a dead animal that had been tortured beyond belief. What they had thought was a horse, was in fact a unicorn, lying prone and mangled on the castle grounds, with two giant brown wings that had been placed on its body, deforming its bones in what must have been a process of great pain. Hagrid was bent over the beast, and when he looked up, there were great tears pouring down his bearded face.  
  
'It's Beaky,' he said, sniffling, 'those wings, they were Beaky's.' and as Dumbledore looked again at the mutated beast, he saw that Hagrid was probably right, the wings clearly belonged to a hippogriff. Sirius had arrived at the castle on Buckbeak, and now the magnificent creature would never leave. Dumbledore was sickened to the core. He motioned for the people around Hagrid to go back up to the castle, and with a final look of sorrow, walked away, leaving Hagrid to mourn the loss of his pet and friend. Pettigrew would be punished.  
  
  
  
Up in the hospital wing, a vigil had been set up for Ginny Weasley, who was still lying unconscious on the hospital bed. Around her, the group of students sat silent, almost too stunned to even go over what had happened. Hermione and Draco held on to each other, with Hermione burying her head in his shoulder every now and then. The twins looked at their youngest sister, their faces ashen, trying their hardest not to imagine how it would feel to bury another family member. Harry was sitting by the bed, eyes full of unshed tears, just willing the red haired girl to wake up, trying his hardest to put the life back into her. But nothing happened, and Ginny was still. He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and turned round fiercely in frustration, almost falling off the chair in surprise as he looked into Ron's face.  
  
'Look,' he said. 'I'm not saying that we're ok, but Ginny, she'll be okay you know. She's strong, and she'll survive for you. Because, she loves you.' He sounded very odd, as though there were a great deal of misunderstanding in his voice. He spoke again, more to himself than Harry.  
  
'I just, I don't understand. Why her?' and then he left the wing, still muttering under his breath. Harry was stunned for a moment, before turning back to Ginny.  
  
Mrs. Weasley entered the wind, her hair wild and her eyes bright. She saw her daughter and sons, and ran over, breaking down as she held her baby to her. She stroked her hair, murmuring to her.  
  
'Hold on my darling, we can't lose you, not now, not yet'. And she began to sob quietly. She stopped after a few minutes, and placed Ginny back down as if she were made out of glass. She turned to Madame Pomfrey. The matron looked as if she had no idea as to how to deal with the situation. She spoke very softly; sounding not one bit like the formidable woman Harry had come to know.  
  
'It's her birthday soon, Madame Pomfrey. Please help her. I don't want to bury my girl on her birthday.'  
  
Madame Pomfrey, tears welling up in her own eyes, nodded. Mrs. Weasley beckoned for her son's to follow her out the infirmary, and went off to see Dumbledore.  
  
Hermione put a hand on Harry's back, and he looked up into her face. Hermione took one glance into his eyes, and spoke to his mind.  
  
You love her, don't you. It wasn't a question. Harry didn't even bother to answer her; he just nodded mutely, staring fixedly at the figure on the bed. Hermione didn't need him to speak; she had seen the anguish in his eyes when she had said it. She squeezed his shoulder, and then led Draco out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Ginny. He held her hand, and fell asleep at her side.  
  
  
  
It was about two 'o' clock in the morning, and Sirius, Remus and Snape were still awake, and still watching Peter. The ministry was to come in the morning, Lucius Malfoy was sending over several guards to take him away, and Sirius was to have his name cleared. You wouldn't have known that he was happy about this news if you had seen his face. His eyes were fixed, with clear loathing, on the thin, slimy little man in the corner. Peter opened his mouth to speak, and Sirius snarled, sounding very much like the dog he could transform into.  
  
Peter hesitated, and then spoke, his words shocking the three other men in the room.  
  
'I can't thank you all enough for doing this.' There was nothing for a moment, but then Remus spoke, not even bothering to hide his dislike for the man in front of him.  
  
'What do you mean, Peter?'  
  
'Well; now I'm going to Azkaban. If I had been sent back to my master, he would have killed me for sure. So thank you all, for saving my life.' He let the effect of these words sink in, expecting Sirius to leap forward and launch an attack on him. Surprisingly though, it was Snape that spoke.  
  
'Don't mention it.' he said smoothly, a smile of satisfaction lighting up his features. Remus and Sirius looked at him in surprise, forgetting for a moment that they hated him.  
  
'We are so glad to be sending you to Azkaban Pettigrew, because what you will get there is a fate worse than death. This might even be your first kiss, I daresay?' he laughed sadistically, and the two friends finally worked out what he was talking about. All of them were pleased to see Pettigrew's face whiten as he too, realised what Snape was referring to.  
  
'Did you really think he'd let you off that easily?' Snape whispered, leaning in close to Wormtail. 'You should know by now, Lord Voldemort punishes those who disobey him. I know that, thanks to you'. He walked away, and then turned around, lifting up his shirt. Pettigrew recoiled in disgust, and Remus and Sirius turned their faces away. Down Snape's back, there was a trail of burnt, unrecognisable flesh, where red-hot whips had made contact with unblemished skin. On his arm, where the dark mark had once been, there was a blistering hole; still red raw from whatever had been done to it.  
  
Snape winced slightly as he took in his own injuries, then the sight seemed to strengthen him, and he again faced Pettigrew, who was now shaking.  
  
'You did this, you know. You gave me up to the dark lord, as one of Dumbledore's spies. I don't know when you did it, but you did. I tried to rejoin him, tried to take up my old place in his group, and he did this to me. That was months ago. You are to blame.'  
  
He noticed Sirius and Remus watching him in the corner of the room, and spoke again.  
  
'You are one of the most pathetic things to ever walk the planet, do you know that Pettigrew. Always living off others, people who are better than you. You're like a plague, wherever you go, you cause misery, and pain. It's nothing to be proud of, its not like you do it on purpose, it's just an accident.' Peter started crying, but this did nothing to slow down Snape.  
  
'I saw you in school Pettigrew, and I pitied you. I hated your friends; they were talented, popular and clever. But you were a leech, living off the scraps of popularity that being friends with them gave you. And then you ruined their lives. And you continue to do it. I hated James, Peter; don't get me wrong about that. But you ruined him, and his son, all by accident. You're absolutely pathetic, nothing more than a maggot.' He spat the final words out, and then began to walk away. He turned to the other two men, and spoke to them at last.  
  
'What's the point in sucking his soul out, he never had one to begin with.' And then he was gone, leaving Peter snivelling in his wake.  
  
Sirius turned to Remus, the anger that had been in his voice replaced by shock.  
  
'It's not like I like Snape, but he took the words right out of my mouth.' And for the first time in his life, Sirius Black felt something that bordered on respect for Severus Snape.  
  
  
  
It was later on in the night, and Harry was sleeping, his arm strewn over Ginny. A soft pushing on his torso awaked him, and his eyes flew open, to see Ginny struggling to get him off her, her eyes still closed. She was having a nightmare.  
  
He sighed with relief, and shook her ever so gently, but that was all it took. She lay still, and then slowly came to life. She gained her focus as she looked around the room, with her eyes finally coming to rest on Harry. She took in a breath of surprise at seeing him that close to her, and then looked down at her bed clothes as the memories of what had happened flooded back into her mind. She spoke.  
  
'What are you doing here Harry?' she asked, a tiny note of bitterness in her voice. He looked down at her, completely misunderstanding her question.  
  
'I came to see if you were all right, and I had to tell you something,' he said, smiling at her. Ginny was silent for a moment.  
  
'Oh' she said softly, then, 'I'd like you to leave please.'  
  
This Harry had not been expecting. He wanted to tell her that he was so sorry, that he loved her, but he just couldn't find the words.  
  
'Gin, I…' he didn't get to finish the sentence.  
  
'No, I can't hear it right now. I heard all, or what little you had to say last night Harry, please, I want you to go. Just leave me alone.'  
  
Even though every fibre of his being was telling him to stay and fight for her, he couldn't ignore the pleading in her voice. Shocked and saddened, he got up and slowly left the hospital wing. Ginny watched him go, a small tear trickling down her cheek, as she said goodbye to Harry, the boy who would never be hers.  
  
A/N: I was gonna leave it there, but I shan't be that cruel!  
  
Hermione and Draco made their way to the hospital wing that morning, to find Harry sitting alone, looking like he had been in the same position for hours. Hermione ran to him.  
  
'Harry what happened? Is it Ginny? Oh God, is she….' She trailed off. Harry looked at her as though he didn't recognise her at first.  
  
'No, no she's awake.'  
  
'But then, didn't you tell her?' Hermione asked, wondering why her friend wasn't happier.  
  
'I tried,' said Harry, sounding like he wasn't fully there. 'I couldn't, and she asked me leave. She doesn't want to know.' And he sank his head into his hands. Hermione was in shock. Ginny loved Harry, why had she sent him away? She told the boys that she was going in to see her, and whispered to Draco that he should keep Harry Company. Hermione disappeared through the door, and Draco sat down next to Harry.  
  
'What we did, you know, to save Ginny, that was pretty big.' He said, and Harry nodded.  
  
'I think it kind of made the whole legacy thing hit home. We really are a powerful pair of brothers, aren't we?' he asked. Harry turned to him, and gave him a thin smile.  
  
'Yeah, I suppose we are.'  
  
So being that we are brothers, why don't you tell me what's wrong. Draco spoke with his mind, snapping Harry to attention. He stared at his friend, or his 'brother', he didn't know whether he should really call him that yet. As much as Draco craved a family, he knew that Harry wasn't really ready to call him brother. Best friend yes, brother now. There was just too much past there at the moment for them to be considered as brothers, and the though saddened Draco slightly.  
  
Harry met Draco's look with one of hopelessness.  
  
'I love Ginny' he said, sounding like it was the end of the world.  
  
'And why is that such a bad thing?'  
  
'Because she told me to leave her alone' he replied in a despairing tone.  
  
'So, you're in love with Ginny, and she doesn't want to know. Not one part of this makes sense. The girl is crazy about you, surely if you told her..'  
  
'I didn't tell her,' Harry cut him off. 'I couldn't find the words.'  
  
Draco leaned back, now he knew why his friend had been kicked out the ward. He looked across; Harry didn't look too good at all. He definitely needed some help.  
  
'Look, Harry, it's not enough for Ginny that you love her. You have to say it, show it, and make her believe it. Otherwise, you are going to lose her for good.' Draco nodded inwardly to himself. Damn that was good advice!  
  
Harry thought for a moment, then out of the blue, a smile spread across his face. He leapt up onto his feet, and started striding off down the hall, leaving Draco slightly mystified.  
  
'Harry? Where are you going?' he called after him.  
  
'To arrange some things, so I can show her.' His best friend shouted back, excitement in his voice. Then he said something else.  
  
'And Draco, if you think you're that good at advice, start a column!'  
  
  
  
'What? He didn't say anything to you?' Hermione said, as Ginny recounted to her the events of the previous night.  
  
'No,' said Ginny, her voice trembling slightly. 'He just looked like he was in shock. I never knew that silence could be that heart breaking.' She gave a sad smile, and Hermione hugged her.  
  
'Ginny, believe me. I don't know what Harry was doing, but I do know that he loves you. He really does.' Hermione said, desperately trying to convince her friend.  
  
'I wish I could believe it, but it's not coming from the right person, is it? Harry doesn't love me, at least not in that way. He was only in there to make sure I was OK, because I am his friend. I'm sorry Hermione, but that's the way it is. Me and Harry, we, we were never meant to be.' She choked slightly on these words, as if she were letting a dream of the past four years slip away from her. Hermione nodded, and hoped like hell that Harry was thinking of something pretty good to convince Ginny that she was wrong.  
  
  
  
Ginny was out of the infirmary in a matter of days. The Weasley's were jubilant, and celebrated her recovery with extra vigour. The twins were banned from the hospital wing after they transfigured the rows of ordered beds into rows of ordered toilets, and even Mrs. Weasley had been a little rowdy. Harry had not been to see Ginny once since she had told him to leave, a fact that Ginny tried her very hardest not to care about.  
  
She was so pleased to get out of the hospital, that she almost skipped down to breakfast with Hermione. Heads turned as she entered the hall and made her way towards her place at the table. She found herself almost involuntarily casting her eyes around for messy black hair ad lightning bolt scar, but Harry was nowhere to be seen. She sighed a little, and settled down to breakfast.  
  
'So Hermione, just what have I missed.' Her friend smiled as she buttered her toast, and started speaking.  
  
'Well, let me see, Snape is still mean as ever, but he's actually beginning to be civil to Remus and Sirius. Most the lessons haven't changed. Sirius is going to teach dark arts with Remus as soon as his name is cleared. They took Pettigrew away the morning after that night, and he was going to get the Dementors kiss. But apart from that, nothing's changed. Hagrid's still obsessed with dangerous creatures, and lessons with Trelawney are just as far fetched as they were before.' Hermione paused for breath. Ginny was about to remark on her speech when something very odd happened, the hall blacked out.  
  
Ginny tried to adjust to the darkness, when a spotlight fell on top of her, she looked around in the glaring white light, as a figure got up and started to walk across the teachers table. Another spotlight illuminated the figure, and Ginny saw Harry standing in front of the school. What was going on?  
  
'Hello everyone, and good morning.' Harry said, laughter in his voice. 'I promise not to keep you too long, but I have some things to say. Firstly, I'd like to thank Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Moony for supplying the effects that you see before you, and I'd like to thank Mr. Malfoy for his most excellent advice. Because, what I want to say to you all today, is that I'm in love. And Mr. Malfoy, he told me that to save myself from losing this girl that I love, I have to tell her, and show her. So here I am, I believe she is waiting under the second spotlight that you see in the hall. He jumped down from the table and made his way towards Ginny, whose heart had pretty much stopped beating. He stopped in front of her, and spoke again.  
  
'I love you Ginny; you are the one person in the world who makes me feel whole. I really love you, please give us a chance?' he spoke the last part as a question, and held out his hands tentatively to her. She hesitated a moment, searching into the depths of those emerald eyes, before finally finding what she was searching for. She flew into his arms.  
  
'Oh Harry, I love you too' and as their mouths met in a kiss, the hall erupted into cheers and clapping, and people crying. Sirius and Remus chose that moment to let off a few well-placed filibuster fireworks, one in particular that was under Snape's chair. The sight of the potions master rocketing skywards in a midst of colour only increased the student's euphoria, and the fireworks highlighted what Harry had scrawled across the ceiling of the great hall.  
  
I LOVE GINNY FORVER, BY H.P.  
  
Professor McGonegal was going to have a field day with this. Fred and George were busy wiping their eyes with pretend handkerchiefs as they watched Harry and Ginny.  
  
'Fred, our little sister's all grown up' George sighed, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. Fred nodded.  
  
'I'm so proud of them both. Shall we threaten Harry now or later?'  
  
George surveyed the scene. 'Later I think, he seems to be a bit busy at the moment.'  
  
And then the twins amused themselves by making the floating Snape fly in different directions across the hall.  
  
Draco watched what was going on with great amusement. The hall was in chaos. Amidst the crowds, he could see Hermione, smiling at him in a strange way. She beckoned to him to follow her out of the hall, and he grinned slyly as he went out after her. With the entire school watching Harry and Ginny, they could easily sneak into a broom cupboard somewhere. He caught up to his girlfriend, who leant in close and whispered.  
  
'Let's go'. Draco took her hand and they left the hall.  
  
Back in the hall, which was now ransacked by overexcited young wizards, Ginny pulled back from Harry, and looked dreamily into his face. He smiled back at her, his eyes taking on a glazed look, and he leant in for a kiss. Ginny felt a chill pass down her spine, and then remembered something, something wrong. Harry looked down at her in concern as she murmured.  
  
'Wait a moment, Hermione doesn't take divination…'  
  
Outside in the corridor, Draco leaned in to his girlfriend.  
  
'I love you, you know that, I really…'  
  
He didn't finish; 'Hermione' knocked him out, and stood over him as he fell to the floor, a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
DISCLAIMER; Poem belongs to Kipling, and characters belong to Rowling.  
  
A/N: Oh dear, poor old Draco! 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter 12  
  
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew  
  
To serve your turn long after they are gone, -  
  
Kipling  
  
Harry and Ginny stood for a moment, locked in flash of understanding as the rest of the hall and the celebrations faded around them. Harry reached out with his mind, looking to verify what it was he most dreaded. One second of searching told him all he needed to know. Grabbing on Ginny's hand he began pulling her to the door.  
  
'Come on. We need to find Hermione.'  
  
Dumbledore watched the two students that up until a moment ago had been the happiest people in the hall. He took one tiny glance at Harry's face, and knew then that something was most certainly wrong. He looked down the long teachers table, and saw that Snape must have seen exactly the same thing. He motioned for the potions master to leave the table with him, and the joyful students hardly noticed as two of their teachers silently left the hall in pursuit of Harry and Ginny.  
  
Having run the length of school in what must have been a record, Harry showed absolutely no signs of tiring, his excellent quidditch skills and stamina having been employed in a slightly different way.  
  
Behind him, Ginny was struggling to catch up. She increased speed as Harry began to round another corner, and reached out to rugby tackle him, pinning her boyfriend to the ground.  
  
Harry thought for a second that he was being attacked, but noticed just in time that he was looking into Ginny's eyes, staring down at him in a mixture of love, concern and exasperation.  
  
'Harry, I want to find Hermione and Draco too, but don't you think that running around the school like a wild animal is the wrong way to go about it?'  
  
'Well what do you suggest then?'  
  
Ginny shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. 'Well, I suppose in all this panic, it was completely understandable that you forgot to check THE BLOODY COMMOM ROOMS!' she ended up yelling a little louder than she'd intended to. Harry sat up, rubbing his ears and looking a little sheepish.  
  
They set off for Gryffindor without another word.  
  
  
  
At that moment, Snape and Dumbledore were in fact investigating the astronomy tower, each with a look of horror struck dismay on their features. The window that looked out over the surrounding Scottish landscape had been smashed, and several things around the room had been absolutely ransacked. Evidently there had been a struggle.  
  
Dumbledore removed something from his cloak; it looked like a small, whirring spinning top. He let it spin round in thin air for a moment, and his face dropped as it began to show up a cloud of light green mist around it. He turned to his companion with ashen skin, and Snape saw what he knew was the most frightening sight in his life. Dumbledore was terrified.  
  
  
  
Harry and Ginny reached the still empty common room together, and took the stairs up to the girls dormitory two at a time. Harry didn't even bother to knock, he just held up his hand and the door flew off of its hinges. They entered the room, preparing themselves for the worst.  
  
And they found Hermione lying asleep on her bed.  
  
Ginny approached her cautiously, murmuring her friends name softly. She reached out and gently shook Hermione on the shoulders, but the figure on the bed didn't move.  
  
Ginny looked up at Harry fearfully. 'Harry, is she…?' She didn't wait for an answer, and began to shake her best friend with frantic ferocity, with no response. Ginny's eyes began to water, and Harry pushed forwards towards the bed to hear what she was saying.  
  
'Come on Hermione' Ginny whispered hoarsely. 'Please, wake up, I need you to wake up.' She was now shaking her like a rag doll. Harry moved Ginny away, gently but firmly, and leant in to see what there was he could do, whilst Ginny began to pace the room for some sign as to how she ended up like this.  
  
Harry placed a hand on Hermione's forehead; it felt cool to the touch, like touching stone. The thought was not encouraging, yet there was something about it that reminded Harry of something he had read somewhere. He wasn't prepared to give up on Hermione anyway; people did not just die in this way, and he'd be damned if he let her go in this way. He racked his brains, trying to remember just where it was he had heard of those particular symptoms. The stone cold skin, the unshakeable sleep…  
  
Harry had a flash of brilliance, he remembered reading about this when learning with Draco about restorative potions. There was one he could recall now, that sent the drinker into a death like sleep, usually used by dark wizards to fool people into burying their loved ones alive. He glanced to Hermione's bedside and instantly saw the glass of pumpkin juice that she must have been drinking before she went to sleep that night. And now he knew, Hermione had never come down this morning; she had fallen asleep last night, and had yet to wake up.  
  
If only he could remember the restorative. He looked at Ginny's tear stricken face, and thought of Hermione. He didn't want to think about Draco at that moment in time, he knew he had to focus. He thought back to what Madame Pomfrey had said, thankful for the first time in his life of the nurse's forceful teaching methods. Her voice now echoed in his head.  
  
'One of the most fear inspiring potions is a potion used to make peoples loved ones believe that they have died. It puts the drinker into a state of suspended animation, so there is now breathing going on, and their skin becomes cold and stone like to the touch. This is meant to fool those who see the victim into believing that there is nothing that can be done for them, where in fact the remedy is ridiculously simple, you merely have to…'  
  
Harry remembered, he didn't have to hear the matron's voice anymore. He held out his hand, much to Ginny's surprise, and shouted 'Accio Water!'. A glass came zooming into the room, and Harry wasted no time in throwing the contents over Hermione's face.  
  
Ginny now stared at Harry as though he'd gone mad, but her disbelief soon turned to joy as Hermione slowly opened her eyes and began to stir. Harry basked in his triumph slightly as Ginny woke Hermione fully by throwing her arms around her. Hermione took that opportunity to speak to Harry in her head.  
  
Before Ginny fully succeeds in strangling me, I was wondering if you could tell me what happened. She said wryly.  
  
Harry smiled slightly at her. Potion, sleep of death, water to wake you. I think that's all you need to know.  
  
I knew there was a reason for you not being called 'the informative one'. Where's Draco?'  
  
This one question seemed to have an amazing effect on Harry. A dark look crossed his brow as he remembered what he had realised when reviving Hermione. That she had never been in the hall this morning. Meaning that the Hermione that had led Draco away was an impostor. Adding up to the fact that Draco was now in immense trouble. He reached out again with his mind, and finally managed to pick up something from Draco's head. It was pain, immense pain. But just as soon as Harry had latched onto the feeling, it began to fade into nothingness, and Harry knew that the connection he had with Draco had now been severed. He had to find him.  
  
Harry didn't answer the question, and instead he fled the room.  
  
  
  
Dumbledore and Snape entered the common room, both looking extremely grave. They had only been in there for about two seconds when a frantic Harry Potter ran into them, knocking Snape into a nearby armchair before sprinting out the common room with no explanation.  
  
The two teachers had only a little time to register this when Hermione and Ginny appeared at the top of the staircase to the girl's dormitory, Hermione looking a little unsteady on her feet. Both professors waited for the girls to make their way towards them, before Dumbledore spoke.  
  
'I'm slightly curious to know if either of you can explain where Harry has just run off to.' He said, in what would usually have been a light voice, but today was heavy and fearful.  
  
'Sir,' Hermione said, even in a situation like this being keen to explain things to others. 'Somebody gave me a potion last night that sent me into a sleep of death; they must have put it in my pumpkin juice. Harry just revived me, then he ran from the room.' She stopped as she realised that she didn't know anything else.  
  
Ginny filled in the gaps. 'Whoever poisoned Hermione must have taken her place this morning at breakfast, probably using a polyjuice potion or something. They took Draco out the hall, and now we can't find him. Me and Harry were looking for him and Hermione before we got to the common room, he's probably gone to find him now.'  
  
'That Miss Weasley, is both a futile and dangerous thing for Potter to do.' He looked at the shock on the girl's faces before he looked to Dumbledore for permission to continue. The Headmaster waved his hand, and Snape spoke again.  
  
'We have reason to believe that Draco has been taken from the school by means of force, making Harry's search futile. What makes it dangerous is that all signs indicate that a death eater has managed to get into the castle.'  
  
The words took a few moments to sink in, leaving the girls feeling slightly numb. In the end it was Dumbledore who spoke, determined not to lose the second of the two boys.  
  
'We have to find Harry'.  
  
  
  
Draco was, like Harry had felt, in immense pain at that moment in time. Though that was probably something to do with the fact that someone had just nailed his hands to a wall, which was annoying as well as painful. He looked around, determined to find someway to get out of wherever he was, and determined also not to contemplate the bloody mess that was now both his hands. He saw that he was in a stone room, probably in the heart of a castle somewhere. Not Hogwarts, as the stones were of a different style, but definitely still in Scotland, judging by the room. Draco was an expert in placing big houses, unlike those who took their luxury for granted; Draco had learnt all he could about it.  
  
There were only a few other things in the room. One was a large box that he suspected contained various torture elements. There was also a large candelabrum providing the only light in the room. Then of course there was the cloaked figure on the other side of the room, writing a letter. Draco searched around for something clever or cutting to say, partly to set some kind of event in motion, partly to make himself look less scared than he was. He found himself at a loss for words, and instead watched the figure as it finished writing whatever it was they were writing, and sending it out of a trapdoor in the ceiling. The figure then turned, gave Draco a glare from under their hood, and made their way silently to the wooden box. Draco saw what was in it, and found his tongue.  
  
'Oh goody, I was right. It is torture devices!'  
  
  
  
Hermione, Ginny, Snape and Dumbledore combed the school, each expecting to find Harry in some terrible danger. They ended their search surprisingly, by finding him kneeling on the floor of the astronomy tower, looking at the shattered window as though it were a mirror to his soul.  
  
Ginny approached him slowly, as though she were afraid that too much movement would frighten him away. She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling it flinch at her touch, and she leaned forward to look into his face.  
  
What she saw there was, nothing. Harry looked like a blank shell, like a man that had been battered and bruised so much in the past that there was just nothing left to destroy anymore. She pleaded with her eyes for him to come back to her, to sort out something to help Draco, but it was as though Harry wasn't there anymore. She looked up at Professor Dumbledore, asking silently for him to help her boyfriend. Ginny stepped back as the old man walked up to Harry, hugging Hermione as they let the horrors of the day wash over them.  
  
Dumbledore took one second to look at Harry before he spoke. 'Its useless. Harry has taken the final blow needed to push him over the edge. Draco was his brother, and now he has been taken, and Harry's soul has been destroyed.'  
  
'But Professor!' Hermione protested desperately. 'There must be something.'  
  
'THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO!' Dumbledore yelled, seeming angrier with himself than at anyone else. The room looked like it had just suffered an earthquake, judging by the faces of the people in it. Nobody had ever heard Albus Dumbledore yell before. Hermione looked crushed, Ginny devastated, and Snape hopeless. Dumbledore could've kicked himself. These were the people he was supposed to be inspiring, and instead he had just ripped out their last shred of hope.  
  
But how was he supposed to carry on? Draco was gone, and Harry was a broken boy. That's what he was, a boy. In all the preparations and plans for the battle, Dumbledore had forgotten that he had placed everything, all his hope and expectation, on two boys. And now they were destroyed, and it was his fault. Voldemort had very nearly won.  
  
'There is nothing I can do.' He said, and the broken tone of his voice was obvious to hear. 'I've let them down, both of them.' He said this before moving slowly out of the room, the grief he had inspired hanging in the air like a thick fog that was blinding every one of their senses.  
  
It was Snape who came to first. He stood straight, and spoke strongly to the other two. 'You stay here with Potter; you have a better chance of reaching him than anyone else. I'll go after the Headmaster.' He ran from the room, and Ginny and Hermione let out the breath they realised they'd been holding. Both wanted to fall apart so much, but knew that they had to stay strong for Harry. Ginny walked unsteadily towards her boyfriend, and hugged him close to her, hoping to somewhere bring out the person she had come to love. Because, ashamed as she was to admit to what everyone else thought, she needed him to save them all.  
  
Snape soon caught up to Dumbledore, for the first time in his life finding himself angry with the old wizard before him. He took a hold of Dumbledore's shoulder and pulled him round to face him, the anger evident on his face.  
  
Dumbledore understood. 'I see why you are angry with me Severus, but you must see. Everything is ruined, and it is all my fault.'  
  
'You sound like Potter.' Snape found himself sneering at the man he most respected. 'And it will only be your fault if you continue to give up on the boy. You always had so much faith in Harry, what happened to it all.'  
  
'Its over Severus, nobody comes back from that state. Voldemort has won.'  
  
Severus was incensed. 'He wins when we give up, and I am not ready to let you do that Albus. How can you abandon the boy when he needs you most? We both know that Harry is not a normal boy, and neither is Draco. But they need you to get through this. Give up now, and their destruction will be your fault.'  
  
Dumbledore was silent, and Snape pressed his advantage.  
  
'You know my opinion of you Albus; you have always been the man I have looked up to most in the world. And that is not the man standing in front of me now. So for god's sake bring him back when now that we need him so much.'  
  
And somewhere in Dumbledore's eyes, if only very dimly, the light flickered back into life. He stood up slightly straighter, and removed Snape's arm from his shoulder.  
  
'Gather the teachers and bring them to the hall for midnight. Seal off the doors, we are going to find out how to solve this.'  
  
He said no more, just swept off down the corridor. Snape watched him go for a moment, and then did the same.  
  
And a large black dog emerged from the shadows, a grin clear on his canine features.  
  
  
  
It was now nightfall, and Ginny's tears had long since dried on her face, replaced only with a sad sort of peace as she continued to hold Harry to her. There had been no change; he was still like a shadow of his old self. They had tried to talk to him, tried to reason with him, tried to plead with him. Nothing worked, and Hermione and Ginny were now beginning to adopt Dumbledore's attitude that it was hopeless. Ginny was screaming in pain on the inside. She was looking into the face of the person she loved most in the world, but it was as though someone had snatched him away from her, and nothing she did could bring him back. She stole a glance at Hermione, who was staring through a river of tears out of the broken window where Draco had been taken.  
  
Hermione was trying so hard to hold back the tears, she knew they did no good to anyone, knew she had to be strong. But Draco was gone, he was really gone. And with him her heart. She had to fight to see the point of staying so strong when all she wanted to do was let open up the gaping hole that had appeared in her heart and scream her suffering to the night. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't let it all out. She turned to Ginny, and spoke softly, knowing just what her friend was going through.  
  
'I think we should get Harry to bed.'  
  
The two girls worked silently to take Harry down to the room that he and Draco shared. They set him down in a chair, and sat, exhausted on the floor. It was then that a falcon flew into the room, and dropped a letter onto Harry's lap before turning and flying out of the window. To Hermione and Ginny's surprise, Harry showed the first sign of movement since they had found him by picking up the letter and breaking it open. He read it silently for a moment, before shouting and screwing it up in his hands, causing the girls to jump in fright. When he wheeled round to face them, they saw not the shell they had been taking care of, but somebody who was angrier than anyone they had ever seen. Harry stalked out of the room, and the girls went to the letter, anxious to see what had coaxed Harry out of his trance. They then heard a shout of 'Accio' and the letter flew out their reach. Not before they had seen the dark mark at the top of it though.  
  
The girls looked at each other, their minds full of the same question. What was it that had been written on that letter?  
  
  
  
Many miles away, Draco was steeling himself for the torture that was sure to come, prepared to do anything to keep the death eater from hurting his friends. His vow to keep silent however was ended when the hood of the cloaked figure fell off, and Draco got a look at who was under it.  
  
'Ron Weasley, how the bloody hell did you end up as a death eater?'  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters are JK's; little bit is nicked from Buffy. Poem belongs to Kipling; I think that's it.  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: Don't worry everyone; it will all work out right in the end. Could you just let me know if you want to see the letter that Ron sent? Thank you, and keep reviewing! 


	13. Chapter thirteen

1 Chapter 13  
  
And so hold on when there is nothing in you  
  
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";  
  
R.Kipling  
  
There was an eerie silence in the darkened chamber, as the world seemed to fall into just Draco and the cloaked Ron, who could not answer his question. Draco found his footing and tongue.  
  
'I'll repeat the question, Weasley. What the hell are you doing as a death eater?' Draco asked, knowing that him finding out about Ron clearly hadn't been part of the plan. Ron finally recovered from the shock of the question, and answered it, pouring malice into every syllable.  
  
'What am I doing as a death eater? I'm getting what I bloody deserve! I am going to be one of the most powerful men on the planet, serving my lord. And I am going to help get rid of you, and Harry f**king Potter!' Ron ended up shouting to the tops of the chamber.  
  
Harry saw the look on Draco's face. 'I wouldn't expect you to understand Malfoy.' He snapped. 'You I hear, turned down the opportunity to join the dark Lord, to be bestest friends with Potter. How very, sweet. However it just means you signed your own death warrant. Yours and your mudblood girlfriend.'  
  
'Who you used to be in love with.' Draco interrupted, his face now showing equal hatred for the boy before him.  
  
'Shut up!' Ron screamed, throwing his hands over his ears. 'You're all going to get what is coming to you. All three of you!' he shouted, and Draco began to wonder a little. Even though he himself had never liked Ron, he was quite prepared to admit now that Ron was not behaving like himself. He knew that Voldemort was desperate for operatives who were close to Harry and himself, and began to wonder just what methods the dark wizard had employed to turn Ron into the person standing in front of them, using his pain as a weapon to lash out at others.  
  
'What about Ginny?' he said, hoping to say something that would bring Ron back to reality. 'What about when she got hurt, how was that helping you?' he asked, trying to keep the loathing in his voice to a bare minimum. If he wanted to get out of this, shouting back really wasn't going to help him.  
  
It almost worked for a moment, as he could see that through the mask of hatred on Ron's face, he regretted what had happened. 'It wasn't supposed to be her, it should have been you or the mudblood that had been taken.' He said, more quietly than he had done so far.  
  
'But your sister could have died. Your father died, all at the hands of the man that you now serve.' Draco said as reasonably as he could.  
  
He wished he could have taken it back, because he knew instantly that it was entirely the wrong thing to say. Ron's face clouded over like a growing thunderstorm, and then he exploded with the force of a lightning bolt.  
  
'DON'T BLAME THIS ON HIM. THIS IS ALL POTTER'S FAULT!' He screamed, so forcefully that Draco knew he had convinced himself that this was true. He cursed himself for not paying attention to what Ron had been doing this year; it was proving to be his downfall.  
  
'It's Potter's fault.' Ron repeated, more to himself than the pale haired boy in chains. He turned away from Draco, and walked away to the other side of the chamber, bending down. Draco wondered what the hell he was up to now, when he heard Ron talking to him again.  
  
'The Dark Lord is coming to see you himself, but he shouldn't be here for a while. He said I could have some fun with you, before he arrives.' He turned round, and Draco fought his hardest not to flinch. Ron was holding some rather painful looking instruments in his arms.  
  
He smiled. 'I just have to be careful not to break any bones which are really important.'  
  
The people in the great hall were all beside themselves. All had been called for the emergency meeting of the order, and all were discussing between themselves just what it was that had called them to the meeting. They knew it had to have been something serious, something terrible. And the speculations were completely a rife by the time Albus Dumbledore swept into the hall, his expression one of great urgency. A distraught Sirius Black, who should have at that moment been celebrating his freedom, followed him closely. Dumbledore clapped his hands once, and silence immediately fell over the frightened members of the order.  
  
'We have here a most urgent situation.' He said, not even bothering to begin with the pleasantries that usually opened every meeting. 'Draco Malfoy has been kidnapped, by somebody posing as Hermione Granger, and the incident has sent Harry Potter into a state of catatonia. I don't think I need to impress upon you the gravity of this situation.' He finished, taking in the effect that his words had had amongst the wizards in the hall. Hands flew to mouths, heads were shaking, and people were murmuring disbelief to themselves throughout the group. Dumbledore again signalled for silence.  
  
'We must begin on a plan of action as soon as possible. At present, Miss Granger and Miss Ginny Weasley are with Harry, trying to being him out of his present state.' He was interrupted then by the doors being swung open, and Ginny and Hermione walking into the hall without Harry. Sirius immediately sprung to his feet.  
  
'Girls, what are you doing here?' he said, 'where's Harry?'  
  
Hermione got her breath back. 'We were about to ask you the same question.' She panted.  
  
The order members looked a little non-plussed, so Ginny stepped forward to explain.  
  
'We took Harry back to his room; there was no change in his state. And then a bird flew in, and it gave him a letter. He read it, and then, he almost exploded with anger. He ran out the room, taking it with him, and we've been trying to look for him ever since.' She finished hopelessly, hands hanging by her sides.  
  
'I've never seen him that angry Professor' Hermione said, looking as though she really couldn't take that much more.  
  
Sirius looked even more frantic, if that were possible. 'Albus, we have to find him. A death eater managed to get in this morning, he could still be in danger!'  
  
Hermione interrupted him, forgetting for the moment about all the other people in the hall. 'Excuse me, but I was just thinking. What if the death eater didn't manage to sneak in this morning? What if they were already in the castle?'  
  
The hall broke into whispers the moment the question escaped Hermione's lips. They knew exactly what she was implying, that there was a death eater operating in the school. And while the entire concept was terrifying for most, they had to agree that it made a lot of sense. Surely a breach in security would have alerted Dumbledore.  
  
The group went silent again, as the ancient doors were once more flung open, and the incredibly imposing figure of Harry Potter stormed into the room. The onlookers could instantly tell just what it was that Hermione and Ginny had been talking about. Harry looked positively terrifying. When angry, he created an even bigger aura of power than Dumbledore could.  
  
He surveyed the group slowly, making each one feel as though they were being examined from the inside to the outside. Then he faced Hermione and Ginny, seeming somehow to forget that the others in the hall were even present at the time.  
  
'You're right. There is a death eater in the castle.' He said to Hermione, his eyes locking into hers, more startlingly green than ever before. 'It's Ron, Ron Weasley.  
  
Back in the chamber, Draco was having a very rough time. He knew how Harry must have felt when he was trapped in the nightmare world that Voldemort had created, yet he had the added pleasure of knowing that this pain was real, that should he ever be rescued, or should he ever escape, the pain would continue. It wasn't just the amount of ways that Ron had found to torture his body, which was now running with sweat and blood. It was the things that Ron said to him. The taunts, the torments, and the endless references to the darkness that Draco had given everything to escape from.  
  
His face was caked with drying blood from where Ron had smacked him in the nose. And his soul was heavy with the words that had managed to pierce his very heart. Ron leant in, putting his freckled face only an inch from Draco's speckled one.  
  
'You think that, by being his friend, by standing by him, that you can redeem yourself for what you are. he whispered. 'But you're wrong. By choosing the light side, you only sealed your own fate. And to think, he didn't even want to be your friend in the beginning, did he?'  
  
Ron hadn't mentioned Harry's name, but Draco knew instantly whom he was talking about. 'You do remember, don't you? On the train. He chose me, over you. And I bet that just kills you, doesn't it. He never wanted you; he had you forced upon him. And you jumped at the chance, didn't you. To be just like me. To be the faithful sidekick of Harry Potter.' Ron finished his sentence, chuckling harshly to himself.  
  
Draco looked down for a moment, not saying anything. Then he slowly raised his head, eyes black and unreadable, and he spat in Ron's face.  
  
'I will never be like you. I will never betray him.'  
  
Ron sneered as best he could, and then moved away, raising some new implement of torture, and preparing to strike. He met Draco's gaze head on. 'Say what you want Malfoy, it just makes me enjoy this all the more.' He brought the device down, and Draco began to fight a war within in to suppress the screams that longed to escape. He had to hold on.  
  
Harry had sent the order of phoenix into uproar with his statement. Around the room, people were shaking in disbelief. Some were refusing to accept Harry's words. None of them believed that one so young, so good, would go that dark. Even if they didn't know Ron, they knew of the Weasley's, of the murder of Arthur Weasley. It seemed impossible that someone in Ron's position could go onto the dark side.  
  
None were as greatly affected by the words, as Hermione and Ginny. Ginny was swaying gently on the spot, wondering just how it could possibly be that her brother had been consumed by so much hate and anger, and Hermione felt a whirl of images pass through her heads. Of her and Ron, of Ron and Harry, of the three of them together. And a little piece of her heart broke and died. But neither of them questioned the truth of Harry's words. They accepted what he said without question.  
  
This wasn't true for the other members of the order. Dumbledore addressed Harry with an undisguised look of panic on his face, not just of the situation that Harry's words had created, but also at the idea of trying to reason with Harry when he was angrier than he'd ever seen before.  
  
'Harry' he said, voice a little shaky. The hall stopped to listen to the conversation that was about to take place. 'How can you be so sure that Ron is responsible for Draco's disappearance?'  
  
Harry was silent, considering just how much he could reveal. He seemed to arrive at a conclusion, and said quietly. 'He informed me himself.'  
  
The hall was coming to terms with the news that the young wizard had brought. None of them really believed that Harry would lie, or jump to conclusions. What remained now were the decisions to be made, on just how they were going to get Draco back.  
  
Harry seemed to have this worked out as well. 'I'm going to find him. Alone.' He said, never once raising his voice, but still sounding angrier than somebody yelling their head off. The aura of power around him grew.  
  
Sirius and Dumbledore moved to protest. 'Harry, you can't go alone, Voldemort might be there. We can't afford to lose you both. Please stay here where it's safe, or at least let us help.' Sirius pleaded with him. Harry silenced him with a stare.  
  
Dumbledore looked his student in the eye. 'We will not allow you to go after Ron alone Harry' he said, just as quietly as Harry had been speaking.  
  
This did not have the desired effect. Harry seemed to grow with angry power that spilled out and filled the room. People made a move to gasp, and found it was impossible. Somehow, in his anger, Harry had managed to freeze a whole room of order members.  
  
He glanced at Dumbledore. 'There is nothing you can do to stop me now. I am going to get my brother back. This is my fight'  
  
And Dumbledore's eyes, which were the only part of him that could move, were forced to give consent.  
  
Then something remarkable happened. Somebody managed to break through Harry's powerful restraints, and a cry filled the hall.  
  
'No, you can't go!'  
  
Harry whirled on the spot, and saw Ginny standing, and shaking, yet capable of movement. 'You can't face him' she whispered softly. 'Not yet.'  
  
In a moment, Harry had crossed the room, sweeping her into his arms and holding her as though the world were about to end. He whispered softly into her hair. 'I have to go; I have to get him back. Please Gin, please let me go. I promise you I'll return.' His anger seemed to have faded the moment he had seen the look on Ginny's face, and the people in the hall felt some of the feeling come back to their bodies. They were all too caught up in what they saw to take advantage of their ability to move. The love in the room was so strong, the bond between them so deep, that it was almost entrancing for onlookers to see.  
  
Very slowly, Ginny released him, and gave him a long look, as though she were trying to memorise every little part of him, to hold in her head until the moment of his promised return. They shared one soft, bittersweet kiss, before Harry mouthed good-bye, and turned to Sirius, who threw his arms around him.  
  
'I've said it before Harry, but you just keep making it even more true. You really are your fathers son.'  
  
Harry returned the hug from his godfather, before trying to smile reassuringly. Lastly, he turned to Hermione.  
  
She kissed him on the forehead. 'Please Harry, bring him back to me.'  
  
He nodded slightly. 'I promise you, I promise you that we will both come back alive.'  
  
He broke contact from them all, and strode back towards the doors he had come through, some of the green fire back in his eyes. He turned to face them one last time. Saying in a hardened voice. 'I'm not sure if I can say the same for Ron.'  
  
With that last sentence, Harry Potter was gone.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters and situation are J.K Rowling's, poem is by R. Kipling.  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: I am reeeally sorry about this chapter taking so long. I'm also sorry that it's not that long. To try and make up for it, I've added in the funeral of Mr. Weasley in chapter 5, enjoy! Please review, and thank you to those who have already reviewed!! 


	14. Chapter fourteen

1  
  
2  
  
3 Chapter 14  
  
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,  
  
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;  
  
R. Kipling  
  
The hall reverberated with silence for ten minutes after Harry Potter had shut the door to the order of phoenix, and to most of the people that he cared about in the world. The people in the room felt as though a tidal wave had just washed over them, and they weren't quite sure yet as to whether or not they had actually survived it.  
  
After the shock had worn off, and the storm that was an angry Harry had long since passed, the room erupted into noise and movement, almost as if the after effects of Harry's magic had had to run their course before anyone could take any sort of action.  
  
When everyone felt ready to move however, it was with frantic abandon, and quickly led to chaos in the hall. Sirius was beside himself, wringing his hands and shouting desperately to Albus Dumbledore 'How could we let him face this alone?' as if he had finally found a target that he could blame for this dire situation.  
  
Dumbledore looked like he was ready to break, and in a moment of pure frustration, he snapped right back at Sirius, saying 'I really don't think he gave us that much choice in the matter!'  
  
The words seemed to have the desired effect on the hall, even if it was unintentional. Everyone had suddenly stopped what they were doing to hear the rest of the exchange between the two men.  
  
For his part, Dumbledore now looked calmer than anybody else in the entire hall, having apparently forgotten his outburst of the previous moment. He seemed to work best when everyone else was looking to him for instruction of reassurance, as if their faith was what he needed to keep him going. Raising his eyebrow at Sirius. 'In the mood Harry is in Sirius, I would pity any death eater that happens to cross his path.'  
  
He turned to face the rest of the people present. Ginny and Hermione were silent drained of emotion and now facing the prospect of waiting for god knows how long, and with no control over what was to become of the people they loved. Albus fell back on the words that Snape had spoken not too long ago, and determined to again be that rock that everyone could lean on. Every man needed to accept and live with what he was, and he was the person people looked to to lead them, to be there for them. And he wasn't going to try and run away from his position again. He cleared his throat, and drew focus back to himself.  
  
'Everyone, we must focus all our efforts on finding out just where Draco Malfoy is being held. Any information that we find can be passed on directly to Harry to aid him in his quest.' He held up a hand for them to be quiet, knowing already what their protests would be. 'No we will not be going to help him. This is a task that Harry must face alone. The situation, as you have all witnessed, has allowed for Harry's power to fully materialise. You must believe him when he says he is capable of bringing Draco back, he simply will not allow for him to die.' He looked grave for a moment, before revealing to the order just how inadequate they suddenly were. 'I am afraid, that other than searching out positions and things that might help Harry, there is nothing we can do in this battle.'  
  
Whispers broke out over the hall, and Sirius put a hand to his forehead, feeling the extent of his helplessness, and wishing with all his heart for the safety of the two boys who were about to face up to Voldemort and his forces. Apparently, there was bugger all they could do to help them.  
  
  
  
Harry had left the castle immediately after shutting the doors behind him, calling his broomstick to him, and apparating off the Hogwarts grounds. He appeared on the edge of Hogwarts, remembering briefly when he, Hermione and Ron had all gone there the year earlier to see Sirius in the mountainside. He spat on the ground, the mere thought of Ron being enough to send bile up into his throat, making him want to get rid of every memory he shared with the person who had betrayed him, who had betrayed them all. Yet somewhere inside of him, deeper than he cared to go at that moment in time, was shocked at the violence of his reaction. Harry wasn't sure that, if he saw Ron just then, he wouldn't just rush forward and kill him. While he felt that Ron would be getting just what he deserved, what he should have done to Pettigrew, some other part of him knew that this was very wrong, and that it wasn't him.  
  
He shrugged the thought off, and headed off into the skies on his broom. He needed to focus his mind entirely on the task at hand. He read the piece of parchment in his hands one more time, not even fighting the fury that flooded his features as he read what was on the parchment. He folded it up carefully and put it into his pocket, before flying up into the clouds, heading for a place that only he really knew of. He made no effort to hide from the view of Muggles, but something about him made you wonder whether you'd see him even if you were looking directly at him.  
  
  
  
Draco had experienced his fair share of torture over the past few hours (had it only been hours?), and he had to say, it was pretty much as unpleasant as people often claimed. This made him send out silent apologies to all the poor unfortunates he'd found in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, whom he'd laughed at and called weaklings.  
  
But then, the hot pokers and stuff, that was just the physical part of it. Then there were also the awful things that Ron would say to him. Things that Draco could never bring to repeat, even to himself, because to do so would mean embracing the very things that scared him most in the world, would mean looking into the face of darkness and just accepting that it was a part of who he was, and Draco couldn't do that, he couldn't live up to who he was meant to be, he wouldn't do it. Still, the taunts about who he was, what he had become, and what he would never be, rang hollow in his head and echoed right down to his soul.  
  
But if he was the one being tortured, it was nothing to the way that Ron felt. The Weasley child, so often sidelined, had found a perfect target for his long harboured feelings of rage and anguish, building up inside him like a sickness in his chest, and now exploding from him with the force of cannonballs. Before him was somebody who had come along and taken his place as Harry's ('Potter's', he scolded himself) best friend, somebody who had been able to become good just like that, and somebody who was just as gifted, just as special as Potter was, therefore fulfilling the one ambition that Ron had ever really held when he had been the greatest friend of Harry Potter. To become his equal. To be more than just The-Boy-Who- Played-Chess.  
  
He did sometimes wonder, in his moments of hesitation, how he had turned to the dark lord. His master had promised him something that Ron craved for, a status that was all his own. When he was a fully-fledged death eater, he was going to get the power and respect that Harry had always seemed to get just for being him. it just wasn't fair. Potter got the glory, got the admiration just because his bloody mother loved him, and Ron had to turn to the forces of darkness to become anything more than a sidekick. He longed to see to look on his old friends face when he read his note, to see just how much damage he could actually have done. He longed for Harry to come and find them, so he could tell him just how this situation was his entire fault. To let out his anger and frustration and his lack of confidence on the person who had stood for everything he wanted to be. But right now, he supposed that Draco would make a decent substitute.  
  
The other boy, his hair now dirty and far from the shade of silvery blond it usually was, still refused to give in to the torment. Ron laughed at his defiant face, caked in blood. He wanted to be one of the good guys so much it was going to kill him. He almost pitied him. Almost.  
  
Draco leaned his head forward, and choked out 'I still don't get it. The man killed your father..' he stopped as Ron rushed towards him and kicked him in the gut, and then doubled over with the fresh wave of pain that coursed through him.  
  
Ron held Draco's pointed face in his hands, using hand and fist contact for the first time since the torture session had begun. The reason, as he had informed Draco, was that he didn't want to get his hands dirty by touching him. Draco had winced, reminded of an incident when he said something of that nature to Hermione, and Ron had gone absolutely berserk at him. God how things had changed.  
  
'You think this is pain?' Ron whispered, mistaking Draco's look for one of physical torture. 'You have no idea. You don't know what it is to see your best friend walk away from you with your worst enemy, and then for your family and girlfriend to follow suit. You have no idea what it is to know that your father died, just because you were friends with someone at school. And then it turns out that that person really doesn't care about you that much really, so it was all wasted. Everything was a waste.'  
  
He looked down, as if it would stop Draco from seeing the angry tear that coursed down his cheek, when really it only drew tear streaked lines down his drawn, freckled face. 'You have absolutely no idea, but my master, he does. He knows what it is to suffer, and he has taught me to rise above it all, to make those who wronged me suffer in return.'  
  
When he looked up, the sadness in his face had gone, replaced by an insane, yet almost childlike grin. 'It started with you Malfoy. That thing that was thrown at you in the quidditch game. It gave me such satisfaction to throw that big ole rock at you, to watch the looks on all your faces as you fell. You were all so dramatic about it, with Harry doing that thing to the Slytherins, and Hermione crying. Over you.' He spat out the words. 'And now I get to see the look on Harry's face when he finds you like this.'  
  
Draco was confused, and still wondering at the fact that Ron had yet to answer his initial question. 'What are you talking about?' he asked softly, not wanting the red haired death eater to see just how scared his comment had made him.'  
  
Ron saw through the charade anyway, and his childish smile grew. 'I wrote him a note, inviting him to join us. He should be here soon, as will my Lord. Then you will both know the agony that I have felt, and it will be the last thing that you will know.'  
  
Draco wanted to argue back, to do something to boost his own morale, and to show Weasley that he wasn't giving up. He didn't get a chance however, because Ron promptly wheeled around and broke his jaw.  
  
  
  
Harry was, at that point in time, perfectly aware that he could be walking into the sort of trap that Ron had been talking about. He didn't really give a damn about it. He felt like he could face a thousand death eaters at the same time, such was the magic that was coursing through his veins. In his lessons out of classes, he had learnt that every wizard drew their full power from the feelings that a certain emotion brought to them. He found it pretty fitting that his full powers should erupt from a sort of protective anger, yet somewhere, something still puzzled him at how his anger was the fuel for the magic. It still just didn't seem to fit.  
  
The clouds seemed to shift for Harry; such was the aura around him at that time. Below him, he could see the building he was looking for. And old castle, derelict on the outside, but with inner buildings and dungeons that Harry had every intention of exploring if it were to lead him to Draco. He didn't even question as to whether the map on the parchment had been genuine or not. The death eater's plan wasn't to lead him on a wild goose chase; it was to lead him into a trap. He was slightly heartened to find, as he touched ground, that the connection between him and Draco that had been dormant over the past few days had suddenly sprang to life, and Harry quickened his stride as he realised the pain that the other boy was feeling. Nothing was going to stop him from bringing back Draco.  
  
There was a death eater standing outside of the doors, leaning against a pillar and keeping a 'watchful gaze' on the surroundings, as he had been instructed to do. He never really stood a chance, and Harry didn't even have to lift a finger. He swept past the cloaked figure, and the buzzing magic that was around him sent him flying to ground. The death eater didn't get up, and the doors to the castle flew open to let Harry Potter inside.  
  
  
  
'Albus' Sirius implored, 'surely there is something we can do.' He was standing in Dumbledores now rather cramped office, along with Remus, Hermione, Ginny, Professor Mcgonagall, Hagrid and Snape. Everyone seemed to want to be pacing up and down, but nobody really had the room to do it in. Remus supported his friend, not yet willing to let go of the idea of helping Harry.  
  
'Yes, there must be some way in which we communicate with Harry, to help him in any way we can.' He said, hoping to find solution through reasoning, as he had always done in the past. In truth, when he had been in school, it had been Remus and James who had solved more problems, finding answers through strokes of brilliance rather than carefully reasoned logic. Oh how he wished James was here now.  
  
Dumbledore looked across at the two girls, huddled together and silent. They looked absolutely shattered, and far older than their years. They had known so much more pain than most. Dumbledore didn't even have the time to be saddened by this.  
  
'Are you able to talk to Harry?' he asked them. Hermione started as though, for the first time in her life, she hadn't been paying attention to a teacher. She and Ginny shook their heads slowly, their line of thinking fuzzy and blurred, obscured by painful thoughts and speculations. 'He stopped the connection just after he left the Hogwarts grounds, he must've known we'd try to contact him.' she went back to staring in silence at the floor.  
  
'But Albus' Mcgonagall pleaded, almost as worried about Harry as Sirius and Remus were. Over the years, she had become fond of Harry, and felt more protective of him than she'd felt of any other student. Maybe it was his past; maybe it was just something about him that drew people to him that had them lining up in acts of self-sacrifice. But the Harry she had seen a moment ago certainly had no need of anyone else's protection. 'There must be another way in which we can send help to him.'  
  
Dumbledore shook his head sadly. 'As I said before, we must simply wait for news of the boys whereabouts. I have full confidence in Harry, as should you.' He wanted desperately for that remark to be the end of the conversation, so he could get back to the silent wait which he had prepared himself for when Harry had walked out the door. But he knew, with a heavy sigh, that that was not going to be the last word on this subject, and that the pleadings to do something weren't likely to end until the battle was over, whichever way the outcome went.  
  
  
  
Snape exited the office, a sneer firmly back in place on his slimy face. Those fools, wishing to throw themselves into the line fire for someone who neither wanted or needed their help. Potter had finally evolved into something slightly more than the less than average pretty boy he'd always been, and his little 'family' just were not prepared to let him change. It was sickening really, all those people saying just how much they loved the boy. Very selfish of them, not to let him be what he was clearly meant to be. Snape had grown to accept that Potter was not a normal boy, why couldn't they face it too, and let him get on with things. Yet even in his head, the words sounded hollow and fake. Snape wasn't just in that office to laugh inwardly at the other people around him. loathed as he was to admit it, he was curious to see just what happened to Potter. And, if it came down to it, he'd probably throw himself in front of danger to protect him, just like the others would. And it wasn't just him repaying his debt to James anymore; it was almost like he cared what happened to the Potter boy. And he hated it.  
  
'Aww Snapey, it's so good to know you care.' Even as the first word came out, Snape felt himself cringe inwardly. He knew who that voice belonged to, even as he looked up.  
  
'Black' he said, injecting venom into his voice, and hoping to scare the other man away with the violence of his hatred. Black took no notice. There was a smile on his face, but it couldn't be described as a smirk. More an expression of understandning, though this didn't go down any better with Snape.  
  
'What do you want?' he snapped, wondering even as he spoke just how easy he had become to read. It seemed that Sirius knew what he was thinking, just by looking at his expression. And this was a man who hated him. he would have to work a lot harder to hide his feelings where Harry was concerned, there were examples all around him of those who had become too obsessed with the boys safety. One of them was standing in front of him.  
  
'I'll leave the subject of your protecting my godson for another time Snape. What I really wanted to say, and this kills me, is thank you.' Sirius finished, as though he were coughing up something nasty.  
  
This really did catch Snape off guard. There was a genuine expression of puzzlement on the mans face, and he stammered out 'why?'  
  
Sirius launched into an explanation of why it was he had forced himself to thank his oldest enemy for something. 'I heard your conversation with Dumbledore, and I heard how you brought him back. We couldn't function without Dumbledore being there to guide us, and we almost lost him. but you persuaded him to carry on going, and I am thankful to you for doing that.'  
  
Snape let the words sink in, the tiniest flicker of gratitude in his eyes, before he responded in the only way he knew how to as regards to Sirius; with malice. 'Still eavesdropping I see. How very schoolboy.' He said, narrowing his eyes in the other mans direction.  
  
'You just can't let it go, can you?' Sirius retorted, in danger of succumbing to his famous temper.  
  
'Neither can you, it would seem.' Snape replied coldly, his anger being shown by the ice in his voice. The two men faced off, each staring at the other with mutual hatred. Sirius calmed himself, breathing deeply.  
  
'All right.' He said. 'We're on the same side now, we can't keep holding this grudge.'  
  
'Honestly Black, you should know as well as I do that we are never going to put aside our differences and "be best friends".' Snape said, with scorn in his voice.  
  
'But we do have to work together. And that means being civil. Now I don't like it as much as you do, but I'm going to try. Are you Snape, or are you going to give up?' Sirius finished; drawing on the one thing that he knew would win the argument for him, Snape's pride. All through school, the greasy haired Slytherin went to any lengths possible to compete with him and James and Remus, the boys who were so good, so popular and clever. And if Sirius said now that he was going to try and be civil, there was no doubt in his mind that Snape too would rise to the challenge.  
  
He was answered with a curt nod, before the potions master swept off down the corridor, looking for a dungeon to crawl into in all likelihood. From behind him, Sirius heard the office door open, and he turned to see Minerva and Remus looking out into the passage to see just where the two of them had gotten to.  
  
'Everything okay Sirius?' Remus asked, his face betraying his worry that Sirius had once again gotten himself into an out and out brawl with his enemy.  
  
Sirius looked once more down the dark corridor into which Sirius had retreated, and the answered his friend.  
  
'Fine' he said.  
  
  
  
  
  
The count of death eaters lying unconscious on the castle floor was steadily mounting, and if Harry was actually keeping score, even he would be impressed with himself. He had searched all the upper floors of the castle, and was now beginning to descend into the dungeons, the angry power never once fading from his veins. Doors broke off their hinges as he stormed through, and if a death eater ever caught him in the eye, he would be likely to run away in fear. The sheer power that radiated from the boy was enough to knock out a crowd of the men who had turned dark, sweeping them to the side like they were nothing.  
  
The connection between him and Draco was growing stronger, to the point of pain for Harry as he let the last door in the corridor he was searching fling itself open. In the room beyond, he took in the scene. Ron was there, an insane grin on his face, and a large black cloak draped over his shoulders. Even looking as evil as he did, there was something about the whole image that did not sit well on him. Behind him was a battered and bloody mess that Harry could only assume was Draco. He fought back the primal fury in him, though not before the table near the door had shaken for a moment then broken apart by the waves of power coming off him.  
  
Ron looked scared for a second; as though this was not the way he had planned this confrontation to go, before regaining his composer, and meeting Harry in the eye. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, as Ron prepared to gloat over Harry, to revel in his old friends betrayal, and to say what he had been holding back for so many years.  
  
He opened his smiling mouth to speak. Harry raised his hand, and Ron went soaring across the room, hitting the hard stonewall, and sinking to the floor unconscious, without even having uttered a word. That was it, there was nothing more. No big scene, no big confrontation. All Ron's dreams of hurting Harry crumbled into dust as his body crumpled to the floor.  
  
Harry didn't even look at him, he rushed forward to let Draco go, and to get him out of the place. He smashed the restraints with magic and caught the other boy before he collapsed in a heap on the floor. Harry looked into Draco's face, willing him to stay awake. He wasn't sure if Draco would wake up should he fall asleep.  
  
Behind him, he felt several noises in the room. He could guess what it was even before he turned to face them. In the room, around ten death eaters were now standing, each one smirking at the two boys as if the outcome of the inevitable battle was already decided. Harry sighed and raised his hand, still feeling the power flowing through his veins. He leant Draco's head down on the floor, placing a slight healing charm on him before standing to fight away the intruders.  
  
He sent two of the death eaters careering into one another, and fired off a bright shot of light at another. The confidence of the death eaters seemed rather misplaced. That was until the final figure apparated into the room.  
  
Harry was bending over the body of a death eater. He pulled off his mask to reveal Mcnair, the man who had nearly executed Buckbeak, and he felt a stab of satisfaction when he realised that he would now be brought to justice. He was taking the wizards wand, when a cold voice behind him spoke out.  
  
'So nice to see you again Harry.' It was chilled at the edges with lifeless ice, and struck fear into the hearts of even those who followed it. And Harry was still scared a little, but he wouldn't give in. he wouldn't let the man know that he was afraid. He would keep this up until he died.  
  
He faced him, and looked him dead in his hellish eyes. 'So nice of you to finally arrive Voldemort.'  
  
4 Disclaimer- This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Nothing is mine, the poem is Kipling's, the characters are Rowlings', and the idea is probably someone else's.  
  
5 


	15. Chapter fifteen

Chapter 15  
  
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;  
  
If all men count with you, but none too much;  
  
R. Kipling  
  
To Harry's immense disappointment, the darkest wizard of the century showed no surprise at his snappy reaction. Quite the opposite, in fact. He seemed to be almost pleased with Harry's lack of fear at his arrival, his blood red eyes sparkling with pleasure.  
  
'Harry Potter' he breathed, 'we meet again, in the real world this time.' he said with cold fire in his voice.  
  
'Yes' Harry replied, looking the dark wizard in the eye, 'It appears you have quite a talent for stating the obvious'.  
  
The death eaters around him narrowed their eyes and glared, pretending for the moment that Harry even cared about their presence. Behind the main action, Draco raised his head, and tried to gather his strength. He would help Harry with the fight.  
  
Voldemort however, like Harry, paid no attention to what was going on around him. He let out a mirthless laugh, the manic glint still present in his ruby eyes. 'My my,' he laughed. 'You've gotten quite cheeky since we last met Harry, I believe this is the first time that I've had the opportunity to hear such biting wit coming from you.'  
  
Harry didn't know whether Voldemort was being sarcastic, sincere, or a bit of both. He didn't really give a damn about it. He wasn't frightened, he was just annoyed, grumbling back 'when you've been hunted down by a deranged killing machine for the best part of your life, you tend develop a twisted sense of humour.'  
  
Voldemort kept on chuckling, as his death eaters gave weak laughs of support. 'Ah Harry, you are no longer afraid of me I see. That's good, it makes things so much more interesting when we duel.'  
  
Harry waited for the knots of fear to tie up his stomach, but none came. There was no dread at what was facing him, no apprehension of again facing Voldemort in a duel. There was only self-belief, and power. It felt good, simple.  
  
Against the far wall of the dimly lit room, Ron was gradually stirring, having been thrown into the wall by Harry. He rubbed the newly formed swelling on his head, and took in the fact that Voldemort and his entourage had arrived in the room. His heart sank. He never even got his chance to talk to Harry, to have it out with Harry. His old friend had denied him of the one thing he'd spent all this year working for, and now he wasn't going to get that opportunity again. Again, everything was wasted, all of Ron's hard work, it had all gone to waste. Ron buried his head in his hands, and unbeknownst to all of the others who were in the room, began to cry with abandon.  
  
One person noticed his state though, another figure whose attention was not completely focused on the confrontation happening in the centre of the room. From a mass of dirt stained blonde hair, eyes peeked out from a bloody face, and watched as the face and dreams and hopes of someone who only moments ago had thought they'd had it all shatter and crumble. And Draco was filled with a sense of understanding. Not pity, nor sympathy, but understanding, for the shell of the boy that was collapsed against the cold stonewall. But Ron wasn't his concern now. He had to find a way, through his various bruises and broken bones, to help Harry, the brother who had come all this way to bring him back. He needed his magic.  
  
Harry was now facing off against Voldemort, the death eaters taking their place in their usual circle around the pair. The pleasantries had been dispensed with, and all that remained was for two of the most talked about wizards in the world to battle each other once again. Only this time, Harry was a little bit more prepared.  
  
Voldemort watched his opponent's movements. The boy seemed very angry, angrier than Voldemort had ever seen anyone, except of course when he used to look at himself in the mirror, trying to fathom himself just what was going on in his mind. But that was before he had made his change, and he didn't want to think about the life he'd had before that. He had no idea what had happened to make Harry so angry, or just how he'd been able to find them so quickly. The original plan had been for Harry to show up and find them all waiting for him. Still, Voldemort supposed that he would just have to cope with this unexpected change in plan, and torture and kill the person who was clearly a spy in his ranks, giving away their position to the order.  
  
The two wizards circled each other for a few more moments, before settling on a spot at the same time, as if by some unspoken agreement. They bowed to each other very briefly- Harry didn't need to be forced into doing it this time by the older wizard. Harry raised his wand, either to attack or defend. It didn't matter, because no sooner had he raised the instrument in his hand, Voldemort motioned for him to put it down, tutting softly as though a brilliant idea had just occurred to him.  
  
'No no Harry, we both know what happens when we duel with out wands, surely you have not forgotten what occurred the last time we made that mistake. No, I feel that, since we are in a dungeon, we should take advantage of the tools it offers us. Nott, see if you can find me and my young friend here a couple of swords!' Voldemort clapped his hands and a black-cloaked death eater stepped immediately away from the circle, searching frantically round the room for objects which would save him from an inevitable cruciatus curse should he fail. He found what he was looking for hanging on the wall, and lifted the two largest swords from the display, heaving them over to the circle with an expression on immense relief.  
  
Voldemort didn't thank him; the word thank you wasn't in his vocabulary. He merely tossed a sword over to Harry, who (to his great surprise) caught it easily. He hoped silently that sword fighting was something his ancestors were good at. And, as the two of them began their battle, he was surprisingly proved right.  
  
Harry and Voldemort moved deftly round the circle, each letting their blades slice through the air easily, as though the immense weapons they were holding were as light as a feather. They pushed each other backwards, every time sending death eaters rushing to support their master, or to push their enemy back into the fray. For the most part though, the spectators spent their time watching the fight as though mesmerized.  
  
For Harry it was the strangest feeling, like he'd just gotten back onto his broom for the first time. It was the feeling of knowing how to do something so naturally, you find yourself thinking back and trying to remember if you have actually done it before. He thrust and blocked and moved about like he could do the steps in his sleep, and let his emotions and his anger drive his aggression, and the fight that raged between the wizards was far more physical than it ever could have been with wands.  
  
At a certain point however, when it was beginning to seem like a completely even match in the fight, Voldemort added a twist. Harry was getting ready to dodge a forthcoming blow and follow with a quick lunge, when Voldemort was gone. Turning around, he saw the older wizard now standing behind him with his sword raised. Quick as a flash, Harry brought his weapon up to meet Voldemort's, leading to the hiss of clashing metal, and the constant conflict between good and evil.  
  
As their swords were held together, the Dark Lord leaned in to whisper to Harry, who was startled at the speed with which his opponent had moved.  
  
'When I said we should use weapons, I never implied it was to be without magic.' He hissed softly, before breaking the contact with the other sword suddenly and moving away slightly. Harry took the hint, and began to use wand less magic to increase his speed and strength, resulting in the battle being far more advanced than anyone had seen before, or were likely to see again. When fuelled by their powers, the two wizards moved so quickly you could see nothing but the blur and flash of cloaks, or the shining swish of metal cutting through the air.  
  
This was when Voldemort began to remember just why it was that he really hated the Potters. He just kept overlooking things as far as they were concerned. Because, he had failed to remember, yet again, that when fuelled by such a strong emotion as anger, and such magical power as Harry possessed, the boy was virtually unstoppable. And now things started to look bad for the dark lord. Harry was backing him into a corner, his eyes narrow and focused, and green fire burning brightly from within. Voldemort found himself feeling the wall behind him, and couldn't duck as Harry brought his sword swishing down, cutting a long gash on the side of the dark wizards arm.  
  
This one move brought the other members of the room out of their trance, and snapped them into action. As one the death eaters rushed forward to defend their master, and Draco happened to choose this particular moment in time to break free of his restraints. Physically in tatters, he lifted his hand as though it were costing him every ounce of energy in the world, and waved it determinedly, sending Voldemort's servants flying all over the room like they were being thrown by a giant, and causing a quickly advancing Ron to go flying back to where he started from. Draco would have punched the air in triumph, but he seemed to have spent all his energy on the magic.  
  
He looked down at the death eater nearest to him, and even without seeing under his hood, he knew that it was his father underneath that cloak. And Draco felt something, standing there and looking at the older version of himself who was now lying at his feet. He didn't know what it was, maybe closure, or perhaps pride. Pride that he had managed to overcome being this disgusting thing that now lay before him. He didn't have time to contemplate the inner workings of his head; he had to see what else he could do to help Harry out. Though Draco had to admit, he was doing pretty well all on his own. And he looked damn cool with that sword, making Draco wish his arms were both ok, so he too could have a go.  
  
Harry wasn't really looking behind him; he had focused all of his anger on the bleeding wizard in front of him. He wanted to end this right now. But Voldemort had absolutely no intention of letting that happen. He smiled again, only this time the grin held something else, something that could almost be described as fear.  
  
'We'll have another talk again sometime Harry, when you've calmed down a bit.' He said, before apparating away without another word, leaving Harry standing there, breathing heavily.  
  
The death eaters came out of their daze, and after seeing that their lord had vanished, seemed to follow suit. Only Ron remained soon after, having been either knocked out, or being too shocked to do anything. Harry was still standing with his back turned to life, standing and staring at the spot where Voldemort had just been, and even from a distance Draco could see he was shaking. He was about to go over and do something to break the silence, when he felt the room begin to tremble.  
  
Looking at Harry's still shaking back, Draco was completely confused. What with having a broken jaw, he couldn't exactly speak, and so he settled for telepathy.  
  
Harry, what's going on?  
  
There was silence, and then, like tuning into a radio station, Draco could hear Harry's voice, with a desperate tone to it.  
  
He left. I can't believe he left. I wanted to finish this, to end it, and he wouldn't bloody well let me.  
  
Draco tried again, feeling the ground beneath him begin to wobble. Harry, are you doing this?  
  
He had you taken away from me, and he tried to take Ginny, and he….  
  
Harry I know, but believe me, there will be another time to finish this. Just calm down before you make the whole building collapse on us.  
  
Too late.  
  
Draco heard the words echo in his head, before looking up to see that the ceiling and the wooden supports were now beginning to give way, and that Harry was still trembling. He had to get them all out of their, which was looking like a Herculean task being that he was in a room with a death eater and the person who was actually knocking down the building, and not many of his bones were functioning properly.  
  
He heard Harry's voice again in his head, and cringed at its almost childlike reasoning.  
  
I'm going to make the whole place fall down. If I can't take out Voldemort, I'll settle for his base, then he can see just how angry he makes me..  
  
Draco began to move. Harry come on, we have to argh! He cried, wincing in new pain as he felt his feet give way, sending him tumbling to the ground.  
  
His inner cry had been enough to stop Harry from his destructiveness, as he turned and rushed forward to help Draco. But he was right, it was too late. Pieces of stone and timber were beginning to fall down around them as Harry pulled Draco upright. The two of them looked over to where Ron had fallen, and then Harry made to leave.  
  
Draco gripped his arm very loosely. What are you doing?  
  
Leaving him here. It's what he deserves; it's what my father should have done.  
  
No. Draco replied firmly. We take him back with us. If nothing else, he has to face up to what he's done. What his family will say.  
  
He could see sense beginning to dawn in Harry's eyes, and he finished. Imagine what the Weasleys would say if you left Ron here to die.  
  
It was enough. Harry turned and raised his wand, levitating Ron above the floor, as Sirius had done to Snape two years earlier. Together, the party of three made their way as quickly as possible through the building, Harry using his magic to block the debris that was falling down around him. As it turned out, he had pretty much managed to shake the whole building down.  
  
They saw the entrance up ahead, and Harry floated them all along with another levitating charm, allowing them to leave with adequate time to get away, and watch as the entire castle gave way and crumbled. Harry watched it fall with a satisfied expression on his face, and then turned to Draco, who looked as if he was barely awake. He did manage to say something in his head, before he gave in to the overwhelming pain and darkness. He surveyed the scene before him weakly, and then let his face look into the other boy, who had come all this way to rescue them. He passed out as the final stones collapsed onto the mess, managing two unspoken words.  
  
Wow Harry.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters are Rowlings. Poem is Kipling's 


	16. Chapter sixteen

Chapter 16  
  
If you can fill the unforgiving minute  
  
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run –  
  
R. Kipling  
  
  
  
There was a moment, back in the sombre rooms of Hogwarts castle, where Hermione stumbled. Walking aimlessly round the corridors near Dumbledores office, she felt something, like the flicker of a candle, almost burnt out. And then she stumbled and fell. Ginny reached out quickly to catch her, and got a slight grasp of her sleeve, which prevented Hermione going straight into the ground. Ginny helped her friend into a sitting position, then crouched down next with an even more worried expression crossing her face, making her skin pale and delicate, and her freckles standing out more than ever.  
  
She looked over at Hermione. The girl was shaking uncontrollably, her teeth were chattering from an imaginary cold. But her eyes, her eyes were focused on a darkened spot that only she could really see; her pupils were deadened, hollowed out holes stretching backwards into nothingness. Ginny bit back a gasp, and leaned her face in close to Hermione's as though she wasn't quite convinced the brown haired girl could hear her.  
  
'Hermione?' she asked in a whisper, the eyes looked up to her face, looking lost in their own darkness. 'Hermione what's wrong?' There was a fearful note in Ginny's voice, she was afraid to ask the question.  
  
'I felt him' she said simply, in the voice of a child, gazing now at the floor in a sort of numb wonder. Ginny was more worried than before, Hermione had never, ever acted like this. When there was a crisis, she always got through it by use of logic, probably thinking that looking for a solution saved you from getting too worked up about whatever problem they were facing. She remembered when Harry had been trapped in the dream world, and Hermione had announced to them all that they were going to get him back. That was the Hermione she knew, the Hermione standing in front of them all with a determined look on her face, ready to give them answers. The Hermione in front of her now looked like she couldn't tell you what two plus two made.  
  
'Who did you feel?' Ginny asked slowly, and kindly, as though she were indeed talking to a small child.  
  
She now shook her head at Ginny, as though the red head was silly for asking such an obvious question. 'Draco' she replied, as though she too were talking to an idiot.  
  
Ginny tried to rid herself of the waves of relief that were now washing over her. Draco was a great friend to her, but she just didn't know what she would have done if Hermione had told her that that was Harry she was feeling. She also felt completely and utterly guilty for feeling this way. She tried again to get Hermione to talk sense. 'Hermione, what was it that you felt?'  
  
This question had a completely unexpected effect on the other girl. The bullet holes in her eyes gave way and unleashed a river of tears, sending her flying forward into Ginny, who hugged her friend with a mix of sympathy and surprise. It was while Hermione was lying weeping in Ginny's arms, that she finally answered the question. 'Pain,' she whispered hoarsely, 'Complete and utter pain.'  
  
  
  
Harry felt himself almost sliding back into his body, as the building crumpled around him, and he fell, breathing heavily, against a tree trunk, two bodies beside him. He let himself be calmed for a moment or two, like the quiet after a storm. He'd never ever felt that powerful before, like he could bet anything, like he could do anything. But he'd also felt so angry, and merciless, and he hadn't liked that at all. But it was over now, and he was back to being himself, and he had to get the people back to Hogwarts.  
  
He stood, and looked at the fallen classmates who were strewn in front of him. Ron looked like he was just asleep, an ugly lump forming at the back of his head. Harry held out a hand, and stunned him. Ron could be waking up anytime soon, and he didn't want to talk about anything with his former friend just yet, he wasn't ready.  
  
He then looked across to Draco, and bit back a lump of bile that was fast rising in his throat. There was hardly a recognisable feature about him anymore, blood had marred his skin, stained him. His once silver blond hair now hung in strings around his head like a dirty, broken halo. His eyes were closed, one was swollen shut. Harry watched as his chest rose and fell shallowly. Once, twice, three times, and then, it seemed to stop. Harry went rushing forward to him, wanting to shake his head, to do something to jar life back into him, but Draco now looked limp lifeless in his arms, ready to embrace the death that appeared to be waiting for him.  
  
Harry screwed his own eyes shut, fighting angry tears. He was not going to let this happen again, he wasn't. Through the darkness and the loss and the pain he thought back to a lesson with Madame Pomfrey when he hadn't been paying attention, when he'd been busy reading a book he'd taken from her shelves to research from.  
  
He knew what he had to do, the pages stood out in his mind clear as day. He summoned over a rock from the ground, and had to take out his wand to transfigure it into a portkey, then to charm it so it shimmered blue. He then looked down at Draco, remembering something he'd said to him, after they'd all helped to rescue Harry from his own nightmares. He'd been talking to him in their heads, partly because Draco didn't want people to hear him talk like this out loud. He could recall what he'd said now, could picture the look on his face when he'd said it. I could have taken ten times as much pain, if it meant you didn't have to deal with it alone.  
  
Well, Harry thought, holding his hand above Draco's heart, it was now his turn to repay the favour. He concentrated hard on finding the specific part of him that connected him to Draco, and he located it, could see it almost as a burning ball of light. He focused on it, and felt it stretching out of him, joining him and Draco together in a web of light. The other boy's body jerked a little then went back to being still. But the beams of light weren't still. Tiny little beads began to crawl up them quickly, racing each other in their climb. They reached their target in no time, slipping into Harry, who already had his face in a grimace of preparation. And Harry felt it with each little prick; it was like needles piercing his body, all at the same time. He closed his mind off against the agony now consuming him, and took another small glance at Draco. The boy was now breathing, he could see that, and all over his body, wounds were beginning to disappear, to heal seemingly of his own accord. But Harry only had to look down at his now blood stained robes, to know that this wasn't so. At least the spell was working, now he just had to keep on going. He felt the bone in his leg break, felt blows hit his face, and could feel white-hot pain coursing down his back.  
  
This was the point where Draco woke up. He expected to find death when he opened his eyes, not his face now completely injury free, and his limbs feeling surprisingly nimble. All his questions were answered however, when he looked at Harry, or what was halfway between Harry and a bloody corpse. He saw the stone that was in front of them both, glowing a kind of shimmering blue, and the web of light that had encased them both. It took him a few moments to react, but when he did, it was to break the light with his hand. His live skin passing through the barrier seemed to be enough to break the spell. He stood up slowly, immediately recognising that Harry had not managed to heal all of his wounds. Not that he was complaining. The boy who lived now looked horribly close to damaging his name by dying, and Draco was pretty sure that if the spell had kept going, he would have.  
  
'Harry you idiot' he murmured, before summoning Ron's unconscious body over to him, he took hold of the boys arm with one hand, and gripped Harry's arm gently with the other, leaving his fingertips free. He concentrated on the rock in front of them both, knowing exactly what Harry had done. He held out his partly free hand, and shouted 'Accio', hoping that Harry had got the positioning right. He felt the rock touch his fingertips, then the jerk behind his navel that at least they were going somewhere other than here.  
  
  
  
Madame Pomfrey didn't have a lot to do, and she didn't like that. All the other members of Hogwarts staff had regular tasks to do, something they could depend upon to keep them all busy. But she had to wait for sick people before she had a task to complete. She was either bored out of her mind, or rushed off of her feet.  
  
She was forced to rethink this statement several moments later, when Draco Malfoy came tumbling into the hospital wing, carrying with him the unconscious bodies of two boys, whom Madame Pomfrey recognised as being Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. The Weasley child looked like he'd just had a bad knock on the head, but Potter's injuries looked much more serious. The Malfoy boy himself had a couple of injuries, but nothing too serious. The nurse matron gestured from him to help move the two boys to beds, and having done that, she looked at the boy who was awake.  
  
'Can you run all right?' she asked sharply, not wasting a second in getting her words out. The boy nodded quickly, seeming to get the next part of her instructions without her even having to say it. He darted out the door to the hospital wing looking surprisingly sprightly for someone who was injured. Madame Pomfrey took another glance at the Potter boy, knowing he was her most urgent case, then set about to cleaning up the blood, so she could at least get a clear view of what it was she had to fix.  
  
  
  
Draco was almost there, almost about to reach the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's room, when he passed Ginny and Hermione. He himself didn't even notice them there, just kept on running to get to his goal. Ginny and Hermione, both weeping openly now, looked up in amazement as they watched him pass, as though both convinced that they were now hallucinating. When they looked at each other, and saw identical expressions on both their faces, they knew it wasn't a dream, and they took off down the corridor after Draco.  
  
The adults in the office were all setting up some kind of counter plan that would no doubt be long, drawn out, and complicated, and would probably be flawed in some way. This was proven by Sirius standing up, stamping on the battle plans, and stating quite certainly that they were a pile of bollocks. The rest of the people in the office were saved from responding to this by the sudden and very startling arrival of Draco Malfoy, panting from the exertion of running whilst injured.  
  
Dumbledore stood up quickly. 'Draco, how did you get out? Where's Harry? And how did you get out of there, erm, so healthy?' he said, picking three questions whose answers would immediately tell them all what had happened since Harry had left the hall all those hours ago.  
  
Draco however, did not answer those questions, knowing full well that things would only fully be explained once Harry woke up, he wasn't quite ready to put the word 'if' into that sentence. 'Professor, I'd love to answer your questions right now, but I really think you need to get to the hospital wing first.'  
  
No more was said, and the occupants of the room quickly followed Draco down the stairs and back in the direction from which he came. They met Hermione and Ginny at the bottom of the stairs, and then began to fully speed up, and run as group back to the doors of the hospital wing, with only one member of the party knowing what they would find there.  
  
  
  
Once the doors to the infirmary were once again flung open, and a large group of people had filed in, a collective gasp was taken in at the sight of Harry Potter on the bed. Even with a large portion of the blood gone, he was a harsh sight to see. Madame Pomfrey was busy healing the most critical wounds, and didn't even bother to try and shoo them all out.  
  
All heads turned to Draco, partly because they couldn't bear to look at the boy on the bed. Sirius ran forward to be nearer to his Godson, and Ginny let out a dry sob, before burying herself in her mothers hug. Tears were running down Molly Weasleys face as well, all the more so when she saw Ron lying on the next bed.  
  
'Draco, how did Harry get like this, what did Voldemort do to him?' Dumbledore asked, his voice strained and tight.  
  
'Harry was fine professor. He beat Voldemort, and destroyed the building where we all were. The injuries he has now, those were my injuries.' Draco stopped, feeling for some reason very ashamed of himself. Harry was everyone's favourite boy, their hero, and now here he was, suffering again, and it was because of Draco.  
  
Dumbledore didn't really need to hear anymore. 'Of course' he said quietly, 'he performed a pain transfer, and an extremely powerful one at that.' Draco didn't respond, he just hung his head and stared listlessly at the floor. That was before Hermione flung her arms around him, and sobbed into his shoulder.  
  
Draco, not quite knowing what to do, stroked her hair softly, and hugged her right back. And Hermione felt more comforted than anyone else could make her, because she was holding Draco. He was here, solid and real and alive. When she had felt that blast of pain, that horrible feeling of embracing death, she had been convinced that she would never get to hold him again. But Harry had taken his place instead, Harry had taken his pain, and now he could be dead. She let forward a fresh cry and cursed the harshness of the world, not yet willing to let go of Draco.  
  
The room was lost for half an hour or so in silent contemplation, when Madame Pomfrey stood and declared that Harry would live, and that most of the wounds had been healed. Draco let the breath he had been holding out slowly, still clutching Hermione to him, and the full gravity of what had happened began to sink in. Harry had almost killed himself for Draco, a year ago the thought would have been more than laughable, it would have been sadly hysterical. The thought of anybody putting their life on the line for Draco was beyond comprehension for him, and he would just have to wait for a day when he could pay Harry back.  
  
The room, as one, turned their attention on Ron, whose bump Madame Pomfrey could heal in seconds. The swelling went down, and Ron was healed. He was still silent on the bed though, almost as though he were just taking a casual nap, afraid of what he going to wake up to.  
  
Madame Pomfrey looked at him in worry, completely unaware of the circumstances that had brought him here. 'He's not waking up.' She said confusedly.  
  
'That would be because he's been stunned.' Came a weak but yet at the same time harsh voice from the other bed. People couldn't quite believe that Harry had managed to wake up so quickly, but he didn't seem to notice. Sirius gave him a quick hug, and Ginny ran forward to see him, but the boys face was a complete mask.  
  
'Wake him up' he ordered, caught beneath Ginny's overwhelming embrace. It was that that made him cave in a little. He gave a slight smile at her face, and gave her hair little kisses, a little shocked himself that he was suddenly so alive.  
  
'Well learnt Potter, though I assume you must have learnt that when you should have been paying attention to me.' Madame Pomfrey said, letting the upturned corners of her mouth betray her supposed strictness.  
  
Harry gave her a slightly abashed yet pleased stare. 'I'm not complaining' he replied. 'Why did I heal so quickly?' he asked.  
  
'Pain transference means the wounds lose some of their lasting severity, if you make it in time to help or healing, people usually recover from the spell pretty quickly, though it was still a great risk for you to take.'  
  
'It was' Harry agreed instantly, meeting Draco's eyes across the room. 'But it worked. Now come on, wake him up.' Harry said, not wanting to dwell on things that would be much discussed later. His mind was set on sorting out the Ron situation.  
  
Madame Pomfrey gave him an affronted look, then pointed her wand at Ron, muttering 'enervate.' The youngest Weasley son opened his eyes slowly, and raised his head an inch or two, to get an initial idea of where exactly he was. He saw the brightness of the hospital wing, and felt white sheets underneath him. He took a deep breath, now knowing exactly what the situation was, and then sat up fully, looking straight into the face of Molly Weasley. Those who were not Weasley's backed away from the scene quickly. Ginny, not yet wanting to face her brother, held on tighter to Harry, who didn't look at Ron, but shut his eyes to listen to every word.  
  
Mrs Weasley stepped up to her son with an accusing look on her face, before raising her hand and slapping him once on the face. Ron didn't put a hand to the burning red mark, but looked up at his mother with a glare. 'You don't understand mum, you haven't got a clue.'  
  
'I don't care' she snapped back, her voice no more than a strangled whisper. 'I don't care whatever problems you have, however insecure or neglected you were feeling. That man killed your father, and you became his son.'  
  
Ron's face flashed white, and then stayed a deathly pale sort of colour. He opened and closed his mouth several times, looking as though he wanted more than ever for his mother to tell him that everything was all right, to tell him that if he said sorry things would be fine. But it wasn't, nothing he could do would take back the intense betrayal on his mothers face when she had said those words. He instead sank back into his covers, and spoke to Harry directly, for the first time in ages.  
  
'You saved me, why?'  
  
Harry looked at him, his face completely blank, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. Ron would have liked for him to shout, to scream and threaten him, but he didn't. He looked at him as though he were a stranger, and replied to his question with ice in his voice. 'I didn't, Draco did.' He said simply, giving Ron even more to think about. Even though his injury had been healed, he had the world's worst headache. After all he had done, Draco Malfoy had been the one who must have saved his life. Ron felt as though he had finally completed his descent into darkness, and that it was nothing like he had expected it to be. It shouldn't have been like this, he should have been powerful, respected, he should have been able to crow over his old friends, he should have been able to watch them beg for his forgiveness. But it wasn't like that; everywhere he looked now, people looked back with anger, betrayal and coldness on their faces. The only person who really looked different was Snape, who looked at the boy with a terrified sort of familiarity on his features. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.  
  
'So' said Dumbledore, 'what is to be done with you, Mr. Weasley?'  
  
Everyone fell silent; most people knew that at the tips of their tongues was the word Azkaban, prison and torture in return for Ron's betrayal. Dumbledore's eyes fell on Draco Malfoy, and he felt it was now time to test the boy.  
  
'Draco, it was you who was most directly wronged at the hands of Mr. Weasley's actions, therefore I feel it is your choice for what is to happen to him.' he said, sorry for the immense pressure he was now putting on the boy, and yet all the same curious to see just what his answer would be.  
  
The request hit Draco like a slap in the face, the words ringing in his ears, along with all the things Ron had said to him, had done to him back in that room. He looked at the boy, and saw that he was now completely terrified. Now was his chance for revenge, for complete and utter revenge. Snape had made a movement at Dumbledore's words, almost flinching. And Harry, Harry had looked at Draco with a steely expression. 'It's your choice' rang a voice in his head, 'I really don't care.' Draco saw once again the look on the faces of the people in the room, and knew what his answer must be. He met Ron's eyes as he spoke. 'He's done a lot to all of us, but he hasn't done it, I feel, for reasons that should put him in prison. I say we keep him here in the castle, I don't know where, and see if we can give him a second chance.' He said slowly, taking in every aspect of Ron's shock at what he said. In that moment, Ron and Draco finally completed their reverse of roles; only time would tell if some balance could be struck between them.  
  
Dumbledore nodded, a twinkle now it again in his old blue eyes. He clapped his hands once. 'All right it's settled then. Professor Snape, I'm sure, will be all too willing to oversee Mr. Weasley's rehabilitation, perhaps we should leave them to be better acquainted.' He motioned for them all to leave the room, including a Harry who was now so well he could stand and walk, though he still held on to Ginny, perhaps for different reasons.  
  
As Draco was leaving, Madame Pomfrey pointed to the bruises on his arms and legs. 'Let me heal those Draco.'  
  
'No' he said, putting hands to his wounds almost protectively. 'I'd like them to heal normally thank you.'  
  
  
  
Left alone in the hospital wing, Ron eyed Snape with complete dislike and mistrust. The potions master returned the glare, but with it was a look of knowledge and understanding, mixed in with a sort of grim resolve.  
  
'What makes you think you can help me?' Ron spat. Just because these people were giving him another chance, did in no way mean he was going to fall at their knees all of a sudden. Ron's desire for pride and respect was still strong, despite the situation he was now in.  
  
Snape sneered at him. 'Don't think you can fool me boy; I know exactly what is going on inside your head. I've seen that look before. I saw it when I looked in the mirror eighteen years ago…..'  
  
  
  
Outside the hospital wing, the four friends piled into the room where Draco and Hermione had become a couple all that time again. They looked at each other, all bathed in the same light streaming in through the window. Everyone had something to say, some story to share or question to ask. But all these were suddenly pushed aside, as the world fell in and they collapsed into a mass group hug. They had all the time in the world to discuss what had happened that day, but the moment now was completely sacred.  
  
  
  
'Harry, Draco, I have to talk to you.' Sirius said, beckoning the boys into an empty classroom. It was about a week after that day, and the school was still ringing with the after effects of what had happened. Nobody had been told about Ron's involvement in the plan. He was being kept in a secret wing of the castle, under the watchful eyes of Snape and Dumbledore. Harry had been to see him once, taking Hermione and Ginny with him. Draco had opted to stay away, wanting to maintain a sense of closure on the whole thing. When they had seen him, Ron had looked completely healthy, yet slightly lost inside. He insisted over and over again that he was indeed going to get better, that Snape was helping him, and that if he had the nerve, and he could recover. Harry hadn't said much, he had just handed Ron the letter he had sent him, with the question why. While the word hung between the two boys, the girls took their one and only opportunity to look at the note that had sparked off Harry's reaction. On one side of the parchment, there was a photo of Draco, his nose bloody and his eye swollen, in obvious agony. Below it, in ink were written the words 'and just think, this is before the real torture even begins!' the words seemed to sparkle with glee, and Ron's writing was clearly distinguishable. On the other side of the parchment was quite obviously a map of where they were, but Hermione and Ginny didn't notice, they looked back at Ron with disgust on their faces.  
  
He didn't notice, he looked at Harry, saying 'isn't it obvious?'  
  
Harry shook his head, never breaking eye contact with his old friend. 'Not to me it isn't.'  
  
Ron let out a small, tight sigh, as though he were keeping his emotions on a tight leash. 'Then I'll explain it to you sometime. But not now, not here.' He said, and the conversation had been over.  
  
The rest of the school were under the belief that Ron had been taken ill, and was resting back at home. This was to help his rehabilitation, and also to spare his family from nastiness. The Weasley's had gone to see their son, but even Ginny would not tell about what had taken place. All the normal students knew, was that Draco had been taken by death eaters, and Harry had saved him. This was of course enough to mean that Harry now received fresh looks of admiration as he passed down the hallways, and Ginny laughed at his efforts to duck away from fresh waves of 'fans'.  
  
Now, as Harry saw a group of girls fast approaching, he quickly followed Sirius into the classroom. Draco, smirking slightly, shut the door behind them quietly. Sirius stood in front of the two boys somewhat nervously. He cleared his throat.  
  
'Well Harry, as you know, I've been cleared now, and this means that I can make that offer about taking care of you again, if you still want it.' he didn't even need to add more, because Harry was already nodding his head at him furiously.  
  
Sirius laughed, easing the tension in his shoulders a little. 'Great. Well my next offer is, that, after what's happened with your parents, I would be glad to welcome you into our home as well.'  
  
Draco's jaw dropped slightly. He wouldn't have to stay at Hogwarts this summer. He could go and stay with Harry and Sirius; he could gain a sense of having a family again. 'I, yeah sure, I'd like that.' he said, trying to sound casual. Sirius looked pleasantly surprised, like he hadn't expected for Draco to take him up on his offer so quickly. The man's face broke into a smile, and he clapped both boys on the back.  
  
'Great' he said for a second time, before striding purposefully from the room, probably to go and make all the arrangements, leaving a pair of grinning boys in his wake.  
  
  
  
It was now the last day of the year, but Harry was no longer dreading having to go home. He was going back to Sirius's, and Draco was coming with him. The two of them were closer than brothers now, with a friendship too strong to break, having been through so much together. With Hermione and Ginny, they shared a bond so strong it could cross between the boundaries of life and death; it was a love insusceptible to darkness. And at times it was all that could keep them going.  
  
Harry looked into the mirror in his room one last time, smiling at his reflection with a look of real happiness that hadn't been present in his face for a long time now. He wasn't scared anymore, he wasn't worried or guilty. He had proved to Voldemort that he wasn't a little boy anymore. He had grown, and he was ready for whatever was going to come his way.  
  
From behind, two hands snaked around his waist, and he turned to look at Ginny, really look at her. Her fiery red hair wound around in circles and glistened with gold in the light. He saw himself in her eyes, and her love for him, and he knew that he could meet any challenge to come his way, if he had the promise of looking into her eyes when it was all over. He bent his head, and kissed her slowly, feeling her open her heart to him, and welcome him in. when he broke contact, she looked at him with a dreamy smile on her face.  
  
'I'll see you soon won't I?' she asked, her face still very close to his, her mouth still parted slightly.  
  
Harry kissed it again, before murmuring 'of course' against her silky, curling hair. Holding her close, before grabbing his bags, and walking hand in hand with her up the stairs. Draco and Hermione were waiting for him, looking as though they too had taken up the opportunity of being alone, like Harry and Ginny had. Hermione kissed her boyfriend on the nose, then threw her arms around both him and Harry, planting a kiss on her friends cheek. 'Do take care of yourselves won't you?' she said, laughing slightly at her worry. More hugs and kisses were exchanged, and then Hermione and Ginny disappeared to board the Hogwarts express. Harry and Draco grinned at each other, unsure about what was going to happen now. Sirius soon came up behind them, shrinking their luggage with a wave of his wand. He smiled at the two of them.  
  
'So, when was the last time you two flew on a motorbike?'  
  
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,  
  
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!  
  
  
  
DISCLAIMER: Characters are JK Rowlings, Poem is Kipling's  
  
AUTHORS NOTE: There you go, its done!! Think I shall probably do a sequel. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please review!! 


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